The End was Only The Beginning
by levines
Summary: What happens when Camp Rock ends? From Caitlyn's point of view. Naitlyn, Smitchie. Chapter 22 now up. Reviews are always appreciated!
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! So this story is written from Caitlyn's Point of View. :) I hope it's not too bad, I'm going to have plenty of Smitchie in this as well, and maybe a little later on I'll get a girl for Jason too 'cause he's just a sweetie. Haha. This is my first story in which I'm writing in first person so I'm sorry if I'm not so great. Please review! Thank you!

--

It had been at least 45 minutes since the end of the performance at the Final Jam and still, Mitchie was nowhere to be seen. Nate, Jason and I were all sitting outside on the Stage enjoying the fresh air and waiting for Shane and Mitchie to return. Where could they have gone? Unless…

"Hey, Nate? I asked, smiling slightly when he looked startled that someone had acknowledged his presence. "Have you seen Shane?"

"No, I haven't." He replied looking apologetic. I groaned. I hated having to wait on her to get the scoop about Shane. They were so…different. It wasn't that I didn't want them to go out, I mean heck anyone could tell that they were head over heels for each other but something just seemed off. Like one of them was going to get heartbroken or something. I don't know. It was just weird.

"Oh I saw them at the dock a little while ago. They were talking pretty close together. What do you think they were doing?" Jason said, totally oblivious to the fact that they were probably doing more _kissing_ than actual talking.

Nate rolled his eyes as I tried not to laugh before looking at me. "Wanna go find them?" He asked, in a rather lame incognito sort of way to get away from Jason. The guy was an airhead, but I loved him all the same. He was going to get his true love some day.

As we began walking I noticed that Nate was being fairly quiet. Nate really didn't talk too much…I actually found that kind of cute. It also seemed that whenever I talked to him he seemed to blush. I thought it was adorable. "So…what's up?" I asked, mentally kicking myself afterwards. Way to be smooth, Cait.

Again he looked startled that I had spoken. _So_ cute. "Uh, well nothing I guess. _Connect 3_ is going pretty well…"

"Pretty well?" I asked, my eyebrows raised, "I'd say 3 Albums and thousands of screaming fans all over the world is more then 'going pretty well'."

He laughed, shaking his head, "Yeah I guess you're right. We're pretty blessed. So what's up with you?"

I shrugged looking around the grounds of Camp Rock, each different area bringing back a new memory into my mind. "Nothing really. Just working on mixing some tracks for Mitchie, she has a lot of really great songs."

"Yeah, she does." Nate agreed, smiling at me. I couldn't help but smile back. Whenever I was with Nate even though he was quiet and sometimes super serious, there was just never an awkward moment with us. Like, it was always just chill to be myself around him. It was really nice because before him I wasn't really into guys. But just around him something always felt so…magical. It was kinda like my outgoing personality completed his not so outgoing personality, if that makes any sense.

"So you should probably get to your Cabin-or bed thing-or whatever-right?" He asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah, I probably should get into my Cabin bed thing." I said, laughing, "Mitchie might want to meet me there to talk about…well, whatever happened. Do you think anything happened?"

"I don't know…I mean Shane seemed pretty serious about finding 'the girl with the voice' and Mitchie is that girl…maybe they made up."

"Yeah…maybe…" I replied, biting on my thumb- a habit that I had picked up before performing or recording any of my mixes. Not very attractive, let me tell you.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure that they'll figure it out somehow. They always have a strange way of doing that."

"Hmm..You're right they do." I chuckled a little, still sort of just standing there in place. I noticed that Nate was trying his best not to make eye contact with me. The poor guy was too cute for his own good.

"So uh, you should probably go inside right?" He asked, nodding his head towards my Cabin-, which, by the way, I had lamely been standing next to for the past 5 minutes.

"Yeah, yeah um I should." I said, making some sort of weird windshield wiper movement with my hand. What was wrong with me?

"So I'll see you tomorrow"? Was there hope in his voice? Did he actually want to see me?

"Definitely." I replied, smiling at him. "Goodnight."

"Night." He waved a little before turning and heading back to his Cabin. I was about to turn around and head inside when I felt two arms latch around me from behind and heard a sort of high pitched squeal. I contorted a face and turned, seeing Mitchie hugging me.

"We're like, together!" She screamed, a huge grin on her face as she jumped up and down.

"What?!" I asked, awestruck. "No way. You mean like, together together? Like only kiss you while you guys are together- together??"

"Yep." She replied, that same grin still plastered on her face.

"Ohmygod. _Details_, please!" I practically screamed, hugging her back while we first bounced around a little. Once we had considerably calmed, we rushed into our Cabin, each plopping down onto Mitchie's bed as I laid on my stomach, looking up at her. She took 2 huge breaths before beginning to talk.

"Okay. So well first I had to tell him about me lying and like why I did it and stuff and how it was to protect my image and blah blah. And then –"

"Wait," I interrupted, getting impatient. Mitchie always took way too long to tell stories. What were you guys doing while you were talking? I mean like were you sitting down on the edge of the dock or what?"

"I'm getting there." She said, holding out a hand for silence. I glared but kept my mouth shut anyway. 'So then he asked where we stood, like relationship wise and stuff. And I told him that I really liked him, and he told me that he liked me back. And then it sorta got quiet. It wasn't an awkward silence or anything it was a good kind of quiet, so then I turned to look at him cause I had been looking down, we _were _sitting on the edge of the dock, by the way,"

I stuck my tongue out at her, triumphant.

"And so I turned to look at him and the next thing I knew he just planted one right on me!! I swear it was the best kiss of my life!"

'Wait, you've kissed a boy before?" I joked, as she glared at me.

"Oh, shut up. It was _amazinggg_."

"Uh-huh." I said, raising my eyebrows. "And what about the whole him being a rockstar thing and you guys having to deal with a long distance relationship?" Mitchie's face fell. I suddenly felt bad bringing that up so soon, I should have just let her bathe in her happiness for a while. "Sorry-I-I-didn't mean-to-"

"No, no it's okay." She said softly, her shoulders slumping a bit. I could tell that her and Shane hadn't really talked through all the details like Mitchie had thought they had.

"Well, well you have a cell phone, right? So you guys could text a lot and talk on the phone all the time." I said quickly, trying to patch up the mistake I had made.

"I don't have a cell phone." She said sadly, her face sort of bet down. Okay now I felt _really_ bad.

"Oh…well uhm….maybe you could talk to Shane about it tomorrow? And maybe he has some sort of idea of how you guys can talk or something…"

"Yeah, yeah maybe…" I felt so bad. She looked so sad and distraught. I scooted closer to her, giving her a hug, "It'll all work out in the end. I'm sure Shane will figure out a way to make this better." She smiled at me and I could tell that she was determined to figure out a way.

The next morning I could sense the despair throughout the Camp Grounds. Old friends would have to go through another tearful goodbye, and new ones would have to experience the feeling fresh. Which reminded me that I had to say goodbye to Mitche today. Crap.

Rolling out of bed so as not to wake Mitchie, I tiptoed outside, breathing in the fresh air. I was about to walk down the steps to take a look around for the last time when I was surprised to see a figure sitting on the steps. "Nate?" I asked, uncertain it was even him.

When I saw him look up at me I almost "awed" out loud, he looked so tired. "How long have you been waiting out here?" I asked him, sitting down beside him on the steps.

"Oh, just for a little while." He responded sleepily, though I could tell that was a lie.

I smiled, "Do you need something?" _Stupid. Why would he need anything? He probably just came over to talk and yet you're making it sound like he has_ _to want something in order to see you. _"I mean, uh, well, what are you doing up this early and on my steps?"

"Oh, I just wanted to see you before you left. Make sure I got a chance to say goodbye." Aw, that was so sweet of him. I smiled,

"It doesn't have to be goodbye." He looked at me confused. "Do you have a cell phone?" I asked. He nodded and pulled it out, handing it to me, (he still looked really confused by the way. You know for a guy who wanted to maybe be President one day he sure wasn't too bright…) "I don't have mine with me right now since I packed it, but I'll ad my info into your phone. You can call whenever you want." He smiled at me, and I knew he liked the idea of us keeping in touch.

"Caitlyn!" I heard Mitchie called me and turned, to look up at her, she was leaning against the doorway. "Oh, hey Nate. Uh, Cait, can I talk to you for a second?" I rolled my eyes, knowing it would probably take more than a second. Nate seemed to understand and stood up anyway.

"I'll see you at the bus." He said, referring to the Connect 3 Bus we were all going to meet up at to say goodbye to the boys.

"Mit-_chie_." I groaned, glaring at her, "We were really starting to hit it off." I complained, glaring at her even more when she laughed. "What?"

"You two," She said between laughs, "You two are so adorable together. Totally clueless."

"I don't get it." I admitted, and the confusion must have been so apparent on my face that Mitchie just dropped it. "So what's wrong why did you need to talk to me?"

"I didn't know what to wear." She said sheepishly, blushing a little.

I stared at her with my eyes narrowed. "You've got to be kidding me. You interrupted my conversation with Nate, possibly the cutest boy in the world minus your boyfriend, to ask me what to wear?!" I was mad. Not mad mad, but playful mad. And Mitchie really seemed to be getting a kick out of it. "_What _is so _funny_?" I practically yelled, getting annoyed.

"You're head over heels for him and you don't even know it." She said, her laughing had stopped but she still had a smile plastered to her lips.

'What? I am not head over heels for him. I just think he's cute-"

"Caitlyn. Listen to yourself. You gave him your phone number, address, email, and screen name. You should know you're falling for him."

I sighed, sitting down on the edge of my bed in defeat. "Okay, you're right. But I don't want to like him! He's a rockstar, I'm just an ordinary girl. We're in two totally separate worlds. It would never work."

"Ah, but there's where you're wrong, Caity." I looked up to see Shane at the doorway, with a smirk on his face. I glanced between Mitchie and Shane; they seemed to know something I didn't.

'What's going on?" I asked, becoming suspicious.

"You want to tell her, Mitch? Or should I?" Shane asked, looking at Mitchie, I glanced at Shane then over at Mitchie my eyebrows raised in anticipation.

There was a long pause.

"RhinorecordswantsyoutomixthesongthisismeformeandShane!" I stared at her blankly; I had no idea what she had just said. She tried again, while Shane laughed, "Rhino Records wants you to mix the song This is Me for me and Shane to record!"

I think at that moment my mouth actually dropped to the floor. I was stunned. I was going to get to record _my_ mix for_ the_ Shane Gray at the studio where Connect 3 actually _recorded._

"Oh. My God!" I screamed, once the initial shock was over, I stood up, pulling Mitchie with me as we both screamed and bounced around in a circle. I heard more than one boy laughing and looked up to see Nate behind Shane, grinning too. "You totally knew about this, didn't you?" I accused him, once Mitchie and I had calmed down.

He shrugged, "Mitchie said she wanted to surprise you."

I turned to Mitchie and we both eyed each other before hugging and screaming and jumping all over again.

Even though Camp Rock was over, it might have just been the start of a great School Year.

--

Hope it wasn't too bad! :D Let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

Aw

Aw! Thank you all so much for your reviews! I wasn't quite anticipating that many, thank you so much. :) So, this chapter might seem a bit slow and if it is I'm so sorry, but you always have to have that chapter that is kinda unimportant in order to lead up to another bigger and better Chapter. Also, I didn't really know where the actual "Camp" was set, like in what state it was, and I had no idea where Mitchie lived either, so I had nothing to base it off of. So I improved a little and made up where people lived. Haha. Hope no one gets too annoyed by it.

Oh and later, when Nate and Caitlyn are texting, I made Nate's texts bold and italicized, while Caitlyn's were only italicized. I'm sorry if that gets confusing! Okay! Much too long of an a/n. So…without further ado, enjoy!

--

I think saying goodbye to Nate was the hardest. It was weird though, because I had thought that Mitchie would have been the hardest to let go of. But when I had hugged Nate, something about us had just felt so…right. It was almost like his body was molded so mine could fit snugly right under his arms. Wow, I just made it sound like we were hugging for hours. No, don't get your hopes up, we weren't. Nate isn't really the cuddly type of person, not at first at least. He sorta gave me a half hug and then looked away so something awkward wouldn't happen. It was actually kind of cute.

Once the sob fest between Mitchie and I was over, my parents had scheduled me a flight to leave at 1 out of New Jersey (that's where the camp was) to my hometown Akron, Pennsylvania. I know, it's totally in the middle of nowhere.

It was as I was sitting in the plane waiting for an hour and a half for the stupid thing to actually take off that I noticed just how much I was falling for Nate, and that he was falling for me, too. I had momentarily forgotten that I had given him my cell phone number, so when I checked my cell phone for the time, I was totally taken aback when I saw that I had 7 text messages in my inbox. 7! Okay, well, three were from Mitchie and one was from my parents but still! He had sent me three text messages all in the span of like, 4 hours. I could so get used to this.

The first one simple, business like, and very much like Nate. It read: _Hey. :_ Yes, I know, very descriptive, right? The next text was an hour later. _In case you didn't know whom the last text was from, it's Nate. _I laughed out loud at that one, getting weird looks from the people I was sitting around. I suppressed my giggles as I read the last one. _You busy or something? I know you had a flight out but I just want to make sure you made it home safely…text me when you can. : _Okay, you have to admit, that last one was pretty cute. I was so set on returning his text messages that I didn't even read the other 4 I had received.

_Hey it's Caitlyn. :-) Sorry I never returned your texts I haven't bothered to check my phone today. I know, I know, I'm lazy. What's up? I'm stuck in an hour or so delay just sitting on the plane. :-( _I quickly texted back, before returning to the other texts I had received.

The one from my Mom was just her complaining so I ignored it, simply deleting it without really looking into it, and the other three were from Mitchie who was also complaining. The first was about her missing me. The second was her asking me why she was dating Shane when she never got to see him. And the third was her yelling at me for not texting her back. I laughed a little at her too, feeling slightly empty on the inside knowing I wasn't going to see her as much as we used to. I was just about to text her back when my phone buzzed, showing me an incoming text. I quickly opened it.

_Hey! It's okay. : Just wanted to check up on you. Wow, an hour delay? That sucks. : That's probably the only reason I like that we have our own Jet- no delays. I'm not doing much, just playing the guitar and working on a new song. _

Oh, another reason I noticed that I was so into him- whenever I heard his name, or received a text and it said 'Nate' on it, my heart pounded so loud I could have sworn the people in first class could hear it. I began texting him back just as the flight attendant announced we set to take off. I hurried to text him back before I would lose signal.

_:-P Show off. We can't all be rock stars like you 3. Ah my plane's taking off I gotta go! I'll text you the second I land- promise!_

Once the message had sent I shoved my phone into my lap, staring out the window as thoughts about Nate slowly wrapped around my mind, allowing me to fall into a deep slumber.

I woke up to the familiar feeling of the ground slamming beneath the airplane's wheels as we landed. I groggily rubbed my eyes, turning on my phone out of habit. I was dying to start texting Nate again.

Once my entire luggage had been gathered I immediately put my phone into my back pocket when my Dad came into sight. He_ hated_ phones. Even if he used his stupid Blackberry all the time, it was like hell froze over if I ever even looked at mine around him.

"Hey Dad." I said, giving him a smile. He looked up at me and smiled, giving me a half-hug much similar to what Nate had given me but without the warmth and meaning behind it.

"How was your flight?" He asked, more business-like than fatherly.

"Um, it was okay, it got delayed by an hour or so though."

"Yeah, so I noticed. I swear some of these freakin' airlines are so cheap. I don't even understand how they're still running."

And so, this conversation continued like this even in the car until we reached my house. It was a good 40-minute drive too, a whole 40 minutes without touching my phone. Oh, and did I mention that my Dad was talking on _his_ phone the whole time? Yeah, total hypocrite.

Getting home wasn't much better. My Mom was sort of a carbon copy of my Dad. Though I was a little loser around her, a lot of the time we never really got along. We had a power struggle when together. With my Dad, we gave each other space. We really only talked when we needed to, and he didn't interfere much in my life unless it was to ask me how school was going and to make sure my grades were good. And since I generally kept a 4.0 GPA that wasn't really a problem with him. But my Mom, she's a whole other story. She was the one that always got into my face about the tiniest things. Like keeping my room clean (I know what you're thinking: 'So what? All parents make their kids do that.' No, my Mom says it in the most annoying way ever and like everyday, too.), not hanging out with friends too much, reading all the time. Okay I don't even really like to read. Whatever, I'll just let you see for yourself in the following conversation with her.

"Hey Mom." I said, after I had put my suitcase in my room and hid my cell phone under my pillow. I had come downstairs to see what she had cooked for dinner.

"Oh hey, you're here. Good." She said, giving me a small smile. "Make sure you take out the clothes from your suitcase and put them away okay?"

"I will Mom."

"I mean now."

"Mom, I will, later, I just got in-"

"No, you'll go do it now because 'later' never comes for you."

I rolled my eyes, "Fine, Whatever. I'll 'go do it now'."

"Hey. Don't be giving me any attitude, Missy." She snapped, turning away from the stove, making me stop on my way upstairs.

"I'm not giving you any attitude. I'm going to put away my clothes like you told me to."

"Take that edge off of your voice, I'm your Mother. You need to learn to start treating me like one."

"What the heck? I'm just doing what you told me to do! You told me to put away my clothes. SO. I. AM. You don't have to get all pissed at me for it. God."

"No, don't 'God' me. Go put away your clothes right now! And after dinner, you're doing the dishes."

"You told me that was only a summer thing!"

"Yeah? Well not anymore."

I stormed off to my room, on the verge of tears, might I add. Okay, so it didn't seem so bad, right? But do you get my point? I may have shown a little bit of attitude…but I get some sort of escapade from her like that every freaking day. It could get so annoying. And I was just sick of it all. And I had no one to complain to because I didn't have a sibling, and with the tight rules and restrictions I was on from said Mother I could never really have any friends over. Ugh, it was a total mess. I was a total mess. And guess who cheered me up? That's right, Nate.

It was about midnight and I was still texting him, even though I had school the next morning I didn't care. Right now, it was all about Nate.

_I'm just so sick of it here. It's like I'm just an item to them, especially my Mom. I feel like she doesn't even really care what happens to me. Just as long as my room stays clean she's a happy camper. _

_**I'm sorry. : If it's any consolation I still have to do chores even though I'm a rock star. **_

_Haha. Like what? Not play Guitar too loud? :-P_

_**Haha. Very funny, Caity. :P No on a serious note I do have to take out the trash every week and help my parents with seriously anything they ask me to.**_

_Aw, I'm sure that must be so hard on you. _

_**Haha. So when can I see you?**_

_Um..well..when do I have to come in and record the mix for Rhino?_

_**I think it's sometime next week. Are you going to fly out here?**_

_Oh shoot. I totally forgot about that. Rhino Records is in NJ, isn't it?_

_**Yep. It's not going to be too hard for you to get here, is it?**_

_I don't know…I didn't even tell my parents about it…_

_**You're going to sign with a Record Company and you didn't tell your parents??**_

_Well…no…I didn't think they'd care._

_**What do you mean you didn't think they'd care? They're you're parents, Caitlyn. Isn't that what you sent your parents to Camp Rock for? So you could get discovered?**_

_Honestly? No. I think they just wanted me gone for the Summer…_

_**Babe, there's no way that's true. I think you should tell your parents about it. I'm sure they'd be so proud.**_

Momentary break in the texting- he called me 'babe'! Ah, nobody has ever called me that before. I think my heart is now melting even more for him if possible…

_You're sweet, Nate, but really, I don't think they would so much as smile if I told them. My dad wants me to become a Doctor and still thinks I play soccer. Which I dropped in 6__th__ grade, by the way. And my Mom thinks music is a waste of time. _

_**: But you have to come out here…I miss you…**_

_Awe, I miss you too :-( but I just don't see how this is going to work…my dad would never let me fly out again in like the same week that's so expensive…and wouldn't it be on a school night?_

_**What if I came and got you? Like on the Connect 3 Jet? So that your parents wouldn't have to pay for anything?**_

My heart fluttered at the gesture.

_I doubt they would let me get on a Jet with you to take me to the Studio. My Dad would probably have a heart attack. _

I could tell that Nate was getting frustrated because it took him longer than usual to text me back. I was actually probably about to cry because he was being so sweet and I missed him so much at this point.

_**Couldn't you maybe go with Mitchie or something? If I sent her on the Jet with Shane?**_

_Ha. They don't even know I have friends._

_**Well, Caitlyn, how did you think this was going to work?**_

_I don't know! I never really thought about it I always thought things would just…work out…I don't know! _

_**Well, obviously they aren't working out are they? How did you expect to record if you're a flight distance away? Didn't you even stop to think about it once?**_

_Stop yelling at me! This is hard enough to deal with without you pointing out how stupid I am for believing everything could work out!_

_**I'm not yelling at you, Caitlyn, I just want to understand how you're going to do this. If Rhino likes you, which I'm sure they will, you may get an internship. An internship, Cait! Where you could work and learn under some of the best Mixers in the Country. That would mean you'd need to be at the Studio everyday!**_

I was stunned. An internship? I was sobbing now.

_Well how was I supposed to know? Nobody told me…apparently everyone likes to keep my whole future a big surprise. My parents will never let me do this; I think you need to forget about everything. Forget about me, forget about my internship, and just leave me alone. I'll never be able to do this..._

_**What do you mean, forget about you? How could I ever forget about you? You're all I think about all the time! Forgetting about you isn't an option. I'm sending Mitchie and her Mom to get you. Tomorrow.**_

_What? You can't just send Mitchie and her Mom to my house! What are they gonna do? Demand my parents that they let their child leave their house? You won't be sending over anyone._

_**Can I please just call you? This conversation is difficult enough without texting back and forth.**_

_No, you can't, I'm a total mess and I was actually just about to go to bed._

_**Caitlyn…please…**_

_I'll talk to you tomorrow._

I turned off my phone before I had to read any explanations or get any calls from him. I didn't know why I was so angry with him but for some reason I was. I think it was because he thought he had it all put together, like if the roles were reversed he would have thought of the solution to this mess hours ago. Well whatever, I wouldn't have to deal with it till tomorrow.

I cried myself to sleep that night.

The next day went by in a blur. When I had woken up I had 16 text messages and 3 voicemails. All from Nate, except for one voicemail from Mitchie. I was also avoiding her for some reason, I really wasn't sure why.

It wasn't until on my way home from school that I finally decided to listen to the voicemails. The first was Nate apologizing over and over, admitting that he had been a jerk and that he should have been supportive and helpful and that he was just getting frustrated because he felt like we weren't going to work out. What was there to work out? We weren't even together.

The second was him apologizing again, but also for the previous message because he realized that we weren't even together. The 16 text messages ran somewhere along those lines too. And even though I was about 5 minutes away from home, I turned around and headed the other way, breaking down while dialing Nate's number.

"Hello?" He answered on the first ring.

It took me a while before I could even form a word because I was shaking from crying. "N-Nate- I'm s-s-sorry."

"Caitlyn?" He asked, worry could be heard through the panic in his voice. I nodded, and then realized he couldn't see me.

"Y-yeah. I'm so sorry, it's all my f-fault. I overreacted and-"

"Shh." He cut me off, "Just breathe for a moment, Cait." And so I did. It was amazing how just having his presence with me through the phone was calming me down. He didn't speak again till my breathing was practically normal. "You okay?" He asked softly.

"Yeah. I'm sorry for breaking down on you. The realization hit me that I can never record with Rhino and that I'll never see you again and so I freaked last night. It wasn't fair on you."

"Don't apologize. I was a jerk. I deserved to be treated the way you did." I smiled a little and could tell he was smiling too. He was way too good for me.

"So what do I do? I want the internship so bad…but I'm positive my parents will never fall for it."

"Are you sure Mitchie and her Mom talking to your Parents wouldn't do anything?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. They probably wouldn't even care who they were, or what they had to say." I sighed, kicking a stone on the sidewalk. It was unfair that not only was Mitchie able to record for Connect 3, but her Mom was also willing to drive her there whenever, and that was like an hour commute for them. Why couldn't my parents let me do that?

"Have you at least tried talking to them? I mean maybe if they knew that you had some awesome talent they would consider it."

I laughed, knowing that there wasn't even a chance they would think about it. But I figured for Nate I'd just try anyway. "Okay, I'll ask them. But on one condition."

"What's that?" He asked, sounding nervous. I blushed, even though he couldn't see me.

"Will you ask me to be your girlfriend? We're practically dating anyway…" I had no idea what had just given me the courage to say that. Once again I bit my thumb, nervous as to what he was going to say because he was quiet. After a while he finally spoke.

"Well, you sorta ruined my surprise…can we talk about this later? I can't exactly talk right now…"

'What do you mean you can't talk right now?" I was annoyed; "You were talking to me just fine a moment ago. And what surprise?"

"Nothing, you'll see it when-later. You'll see it later. Listen, I have to go. I'll talk to you soon alright?"

I rolled my eyes. _Boys. _"Fine. I'll talk to you later. Bye."

"Bye babe."

When I got home, I was still a little steamy and angry from the conversation I had had with Nate. Why could he talk to me about everything else but couldn't ask me to be his girlfriend? Ugh. Boys were so stupid. But I was surprised to see that both of my parents were home, and that they were talking to somebody. The voice sounded oddly familiar to me.

When I entered into the kitchen, I saw a certain curly haired boy sitting at the dinner table with my parents, who didn't seem to have a look of annoyance on their faces. Then he looked up at me and smiled; the same smile that had been on his face the morning before I left Camp Rock.

"Nate?" I asked.

--

Aha! A cliffhanger! I'm sorry but I had to. :) Good? Bad? Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for all of your guys' reviews! :) I appreciate it so much! Haha, and sorry about that cliffhanger but seriously it was like 3:00 in the morning when I had posted it and I needed to end it. It was like 8 pages long! Anyways, this Chapter will have lots of Naitlyn in it so I hope this makes you guys happy! Oh, and also I'll throw in some Mitchie, I know she's been MIA for a while and I'll address that in this Chapter as well. Enjoy!

--

"Hey Cait." He said, smiling back at me as he stood up and walked towards me. My mouth opened and closed a few times as I looked between my parents and Nate, trying to understand what was going on. It didn't quite make sense to me. Why was Nate in my house? And most of all, why weren't my parents kicking him out?

"Hey?" I asked, still confused as to what was even going on. He wrapped his arm around my waist and turned so he was facing my parents. I still was sort of dazed. I think I was so shocked that I had nothing to say, and couldn't speak. It was weird though because my parents actually seemed _happy _for me. I know, weird right? You think they would freak that a boy was even touching me. Well, I saw my Dad sit up a little straighter when Nate hugged my closer to his side, but my Mom seemed genuinely happy.

"So, as I was saying, Rhino Records has made full arrangements for her to fly and stay in New Jersey for the school year, now I know you probably wouldn't feel comfortable with her being alone in a new city, so I have another proposition, if you'd like to hear it."

My parents glanced at each other, and then shrugged.

"Let's hear it." My Dad said, looking Nate straight in the eyes. I was impressed to see that instead of backing down, Nate just seemed to stand up taller, and spoke with some authority in his voice.

"Well, Caitlyn's best friend whom she met at Camp, Mitchie, lives in the most Southern part of New York, and is only about a 40-60 minute drive to the Studio. If you guys are comfortable with Caitlyn being gone for so long, she could stay at Mitchie's with her parents."

"But what-" My mom interrupted, but Nate cut her off.

"I've already spoken with Mitchie and her Parents, they said it would be no problem at all."

I still didn't really understand what was going on. Nate, my not boyfriend, was standing in my kitchen, explaining to my parents why they should let their teenage daughter out of their house for a whole year so she could record her mixes and live in a house with people they had never met before. I could not see this going well…

"Well, I mean, we've never met this girl, Mitchie, you were saying, or her Parents. And how do we know you just won't take her back to your place? Don't you live in New Jersey?"

I laughed a little at this and rolled my eyes, finally pitching into the conversation before Nate could, "Dad, we aren't even dating. And no offense to you Nate but I wouldn't feel comfortable moving in with you." I sent him an apologetic smile but he seemed to understand anyway and smiled back at me.

"You guys aren't dating?" She asked incredulously, the shock was written on her face. I shook my head no. I sort of glared at Nate though, because we could have been dating if he just would have asked me 10 minutes ago. He blushed and looked the other way, changing the subject.

"So, what do you say Mr. and Mrs. Gellar? If you would like I can get Mitchie's Parents on the phone and we can all have a group conversation if you would like to talk it out with them."

10 points to the not boyfriend for making my parents feel like they were in control of the situation. Even though the boy always acted like he hated attention he really did well under pressure. And how did he even get the guts to come talk to my parents? I wouldn't even have the guts to talk to my parents about something like this. And I'm their kid!

My parents looked at each other skeptically before looking back at me with smiles on their faces. My heart was pounding as I awaited their verdict.

"You know," My Mom began, still eyeing me, "I think we've underestimated the talent Caitlyn has, Richard, and I think we need to trust her on this too. Let's try it and see how it goes."

My shoulders dropped as well as my mouth. I was stunned. Since when had Mom been nice and understanding? Nate looked at me with a triumphant smile on his face.

"So, it's all settled then. Cait will come with me on _the Connect 3_ Jet back to Jersey where Mitchie and her Mom will pick her up and take her home."

I think it all finally settled in cause the blood was rushing to my thumb, which I think had lost it's circulation since I had subconsciously had been biting on my thumb throughout the entire conversation. I jumped up a little and squealed, before running to both my parents and giving them huge hugs.

"I'll totally come visit you over like Spring Break, and Thanksgiving and Christmas Break I promise! You won't even notice I'm gone cause I'll be calling so much. Thank you thank you thank you!"

My parents laughed, noticing how happy I was. And I think it was at this point that they finally understood how much music and mixing really mattered to me. I turned back to Nate and was about to give him a hug when he nodded his head a little at my parents. I quickly caught on, and lowered my arms simply standing next to him. My parents looked at us, then at each other, then back at us.

"Well, go get packed!" She said, ushering the both of us upstairs. I was totally surprised. She was gonna let Nate come up to my bedroom now, too? Wow, this was a total change of pace.

When we got to my room I shut the door behind me, collapsing onto my bed.

"I don't even know how you did that." I said, laughing a little, "Never in a million years would they have fallen for that if I asked. What did you tell them before I came home?"

Nate looked at me for a moment before cautiously slipping onto the bed next to me. It was a big bed, so there was plenty of space between us, but I cuddled close to him anyway. I don't think he was really paying attention because he wrapped his arm around and pulled me even closer.

"Well I had to explain who I was, why I wanted you to come and record and why you were so important to Shane and Mitchie's success for This is Me. Don't get me wrong, it was pretty hard, but it was worth it. And although your parents have a protective barrier around you, all I had to do was prove to them that I would fight for you and after that they were pretty sure they could trust me. I actually kind of like your parents."

I chuckled; no one had ever said they liked my parents before. But I guess he did have a point, if I respected them more they would probably let me do more stuff too. Suddenly a light bulb clicked in my head.

"That's why you wouldn't ask me to be your girlfriend! Because you were in front of my parents!" I accused, sitting up a little out of excitement.

He laughed, nodding. "Yep. I hope you didn't take it too hard, I noticed you were kinda mad."

I felt a little ashamed for getting annoyed before and blushed, looking down, "I'm sorry." I said softly.

"Don't worry about it, you didn't know I was with your parents. For all you know you could've thought I was just being a Drama Queen." I laughed, nodding. "Well, now that we can talk about it. I have something for you." He sat up crisscross so he could pull a box out of his pocket and I sat up to, sitting across from him while I waited.

He pulled out a beautiful silver bracelet, and from the looks of it- it was probably real. He handed it to me and I looked at it closely, noticing there were only three charms on it. I tilted my head curiously, waiting for an explanation. He gave one.

"The first charm is a music note, because music was what brought us together. We met at Camp Rock and our relationship flourished from there. The second is a phone because we text all the time and it's the only way I get to talk to you when you're so far away. And the last charm is half of a heart. To let you know that whenever I'm gone for a tour or off with _Connect 3_ for something, you know that I'm always thinking about you and that wherever you go you'll always have my heart." I was on the verge of tears by the time he had stopped talking. And what sent me over the edge to really start crying? He pulled out a chain from beneath his shirt on which the other half of the heart hung next to his dog tag. "So I'll always have you with me." He murmured, putting the bracelet onto my left wrist as more tears leaked onto my already wet cheeks.

He wiped them off, smiling at me before he wrapped his arms around me and kissed the side of my head. And that was the first time I had ever experienced something so magical. He had lifted my head so I was looking at him and leaned in so close so I could smell his scent. I think both my brain and my heart stopped functioning when I felt his lips on mine. It was the sweetest and most amazing feeling I've ever had in my life.

When he pulled away so we could breathe, he stayed in close and whispered, "Caitlyn Gellar, will you _please_ be my girlfriend so I can obtain the right to kiss you again?"

I smiled and nodded, unable to say anything before he planted another one on me. And that was the second best kiss of my life. I don't think anything could ever beat that first one we had shared.

And the rest of the day went like so. I worked on the little homework I had received and he helped, hovering or playing around with my piano. We laughed and cuddled, and he stole as many kisses from me as he could in those few hours we were together. I had never recalled a time I had been happier than I was now. Nate was quiet when we were in big groups, but whenever we were alone he was actually a lot like Shane. He wasn't as loud or as crazy, but he wasn't quiet either. He made me laugh a lot, and I returned the favor equally if not more. In general we just balanced each other out nicely.

Nothing else really happened till after we landed and I met up with Mitchie. I showed my Mom the bracelet Nate had gotten me and she had gushed over it. It was strange; since Nate had come it was like my Mom and I were healing. I was kind of sad that I was leaving now since our relationship was developing so well but I knew it was only because I was leaving. Maybe we just all needed our space. Nate and my Dad were also getting along really well and I saw that they were establishing a sort of father-son relationship. I owed a lot to Nate for what he had done. I felt like I wasn't giving anything back almost.

I pushed the thought aside though, and the flight together was amazing. Flying in a Jet is so much better than regular flying, let me tell you. We had our own fridge with like every drink known to man in it, and the seats were big enough that once the plane was settled in the air, Nate and I cuddled into one comfortably while we watched a movie. I must have been more tired than I thought because the next thing I knew Nate was gently shaking me, telling me to get up. I groggily got my suitcase from the back and exited the Jet, Nate following closely behind me with his hands on my waist. I was glad it was dark out or I would've had to squint like crazy cause the sun in Jersey was so bright.

We met Mitchie outside the airport and I quickly gave her a hug and said hey to her Mom, giving her a hug too. Mitchie winked at me as she got into their car, saying she had to 'check up on something'. I didn't believe that for a second though, because I know she had noticed Nate and I were holding hands. I glared, but turned back to Nate, giving him all my undivided attention. I pouted, knowing I would have to go and I wouldn't see him for another 3 or 4 days. He kissed away my pout and held me in his arms for a long time.

"I'll see you real soon, okay?" I nodded, not in the mood to talk. We kissed again, this time with a little more desperation in it before he rested his forehead on mine. "I'll miss you." He whispered, and I nodded, trying not to cry. I needed to pull myself together; I'd be seeing him in a few days.

I heard the door open to the van and saw Mitchie peek her head out, her hand covering her eyes. I laughed a little, "Hurry up Romeo and Juliet!" She yelled, shutting the door again, as I turned back to face him.

"Bye Nate." I whispered, giving him a quick hug before hurrying to the van.

Once I got in I saw Mitchie grin at me while her Mom showed me that 'I know that look' smile. I blushed but then Mitchie burst out laughing and before I knew it we were all laughing. Then Mitchie looked at me and said,

"So, I'm mad at you Caitlyn. You didn't text or call me once after you left." I sighed, knowing she was going to ask me this sooner or later. I had come prepared with my answer though.

'I know, I'm so sorry Mitchie. My school started the day after I got back, and things with Nate and I were kinda hectic…I'll tell you all about it later." She nodded, understanding because her Mom was in the car with us. "So when did you even get a cell phone? I thought you didn't have one?"

"She begged and begged us over and over till we finally got her one." Her Mom said, rolling her eyes at Mitchie while we laughed.

"You should have said no Mrs. Torres, now all she does is text me every second she gets." I heard Mitchie scoff and laughed.

"First of all, Caitlyn, you are definitely calling me Connie while you're here. And second, I agree! All she does is text her rock star boyfriend."

"He has a name, Mom." Mitchie said, though we all knew Connie was just joking. I was about to make another stab at Shane when everyone heard my phone go off. I blushed, looking down at the ID and seeing I had gotten a text from Nate.

_Hey Baby. I miss you already, :( How's it going with Mitchie?_

"Oh and you yell at _me_ for texting all the time. Who's that text from, Caity? Huh?" Mitchie asked, a smirk on her face. I glared at her, and was about to defend myself when Mitchie's phone also went off.

"Ha!" I said, pointing my finger at her. "Now we both have to deal with texts from our rock star boyfriends."

I saw Connie sigh and we all once again burst into laughter. I could totally get used to living like this.

After meeting with Mitchie's Dad, we ate a quick dinner then quickly slipped up to Mitchie's bedroom- well, our bedroom now. Her dad had put together another twin bed next to Mitchie's so it was kind of like one big bed. I grinned, totally psyched for this. Her school didn't start for another week, so I didn't have to worry about meeting people at my new school and making new friends. I wouldn't think about it for a while.

After filling Mitchie in on Nate and I, I quickly began pestering her about Shane.

"So tell me!" I whined, as we both lay on the bed side by side. We were both in our pajamas and whispering because Connie and Steve had gone to bed a little while ago. "What's up with you guys? How is he?"

"Well, he texts me like all the time telling me he misses me and is thinking about me. And he's just like, amazing. He makes me feel incredible. You know the other day he told me he loved me?" She blushed a little as I gaped at her.

"What? No way! What did you say back?" I asked, looking at her. She smiled and looked down, blushing a little more if possible.

"I told him I loved him too."

I squealed and she laughed.

"Aw! Mitchie I'm so happy for you both!" We both continued talking and gushing over our over-sweet and over protective boyfriends for another 2 hours. I showed her my bracelet and she actually 'aww'ed out loud. I think we were the two luckiest girls in the world.

--

No cliffhanger this time! You like? :D Reviews are always loved!


	4. Chapter 4

And once again thanks for those reviews

And once again thanks for those reviews! I didn't get as many as I had hoped but eh, it's okay. :) I'm thankful for what I got. So I'm thinking this Chapter may have loottsss of drama in it. I'm not quite sure yet though, so just read ahead to find out!

--

Friday came so slowly that Mitchie and I thought we were going to die. The boys could have easily driven up to see us, but they had interviews to go to and apparently Nate was on the verge of a 'breakthrough' for their new single. As ridiculous as it sounded I understood because I had been there in my life before, too. And Mitchie had said that when you got into that music mode, you couldn't come out till you had something great.

So Mitchie and I settled on complaining every chance we got. I know, mature right?

"I miss Shane." Mitchie whined on Wednesday afternoon. We were both sitting on our beds flipping through some old Connect 3 magazines that had a bunch of quizzes in them. I decided to pitch in.

"I miss Nate." I pouted, getting angry at the magazine after telling me I wasn't Nate's type. I threw it onto the floor, looking at my phone sadly. It seemed like for these past two days we had hardly texted anymore. In between recording sessions and interviews he would text me telling me he missed me and was sorry for his hectic schedule, but I still missed him terribly. Even though Shane was texting Mitchie about the same amount Nate was texting me, I still felt like Mitchie was always happier when Shane texted. Or that they were sharing something that was super special. And I was finding that I was growing a little bit jealous of what they had.

Don't get me wrong or anything, I love what Nate and I have…and I'm always happy when I'm with him. But it just always seemed like Mitchie and Shane never had any problems. Like they were just perfect, all the time. Maybe I'm just overreacting, but I felt like it was time to voice my opinion to Mitchie.

"Hey Mitchie…" I began softly, after staring for a while at a particularly cute picture of Nate. "Do you and Shane ever fight?"

She seemed surprised by the question and looked at me hard before answering.

"Sometimes…I mean we've had our disagreements here and there but we don't yell at each other or anything. Why do you ask?"

I felt that her answer had brought me down a little. They _never_ fought? How is that even possible? "I don't know…I guess I just. Well, sometimes I feel like the relationship Nate and I share isn't getting anywhere. Like…like we're dating and we're happy…but it's almost like we're both waiting for something to happen. But it's just not happening. Ugh, does that make any sense?"

I shoved my face into my pillow, groaning as Mitchie looked at me sympathetically.

"I think every relationship goes through that sometime or other. Maybe you should talk to him about it or bring it up casually, he's a guy so he's probably totally clueless. Also I think you guys need to have a huge first fight too; you know to release the tension. After Shane and I had gotten over our huge fight I noticed that we were able to become even closer."

I raised my head from pillow, looking up at her. She was completely right. Nate and I hadn't even had a fight yet and as of right now we were just being the perfect couple. There was a lot of tension between us because we were afraid to get mad or fight out of fear of the other person's reaction.

"I'm not going to just pick a fight with him, though, that would be completely pointless."

"I didn't say you should pick a fight. I just mean that the next time he does something that bothers you, instead of dropping it just poke into it a little more. Like ask him why he did or said what he did or something. Like with Shane and I it was me lying to him, and I think we still sort of have a trust issue, but we're slowly getting over it. Don't get me wrong; I wouldn't want you guys to get into a huge fight on purpose. I'm just saying that I know how both of you are, and you're relatively quiet people who don't call other people out on their faults, so maybe change that for once and see what happens. It could just end up bringing you two closer together."

"Yeah I guess you're right." I said softly, thinking about what she said for a little while before both of our cell phones went off. We shared a smile, knowing exactly who it was before even looking at it. I heard Mitchie laugh a few seconds later, probably from something the text had said. And I looked down at mine, hoping I would get the same reaction but I didn't. Nate's just said _Hey what's up baby? :) I missed you today. _Once again I felt a pang of jealousy, but quickly let it go, deciding to call him instead of text him back.

"Hey, uh, Mitchie? I'm gonna go talk to Nate for a little while." She looked up at me and nodded as I left the room, the phone ringing as I headed downstairs into the kitchen.

"Caitlyn? Are you okay?" I heard Nate's voice greet me and I couldn't help but smile. The boy always concluded the worst whenever I called him.

"Yeah, everything's fine, I just wanted to talk." I said quietly, as I settled into a chair in the dark and got comfortable. "How was your day?"

"It was alright…we spent most of it recording the same song about a thousand different ways before Don, our Producer, decided he liked our first recording the best. It was tiring." I heard him sigh before adding, "How was yours?"

"Eh, not very exciting. Mitch and I went school shopping for a little while; apparently she needed more clothes or something. And I just sorta tagged along. Then when we came home we had dinner then till now we complained about how much we missed our boyfriends."

"Aw, well we wished we could have come up and seen you guys but we're just way too busy. We'll see you on Friday though, that's not too far away."

"Yeah, it's not…" I couldn't help but feel that in his last sentence he had meant he was too busy for me. I knew he hadn't said it on purpose, and that that wasn't what it was supposed to sound like but it's the way that I had taken it. And suddenly I kind of felt a little edgy. It was quiet for too long.

"So…" He drawled on, waiting for me to continue the conversation. Normally our conversations would flow really easily and we wouldn't need any sort of support for them, but I was sick of constantly having to fuel it.

"So." I said, deciding not give him a break. If we were going to talk on the phone tonight, he was the one who was going to keep the conversation going.

"What are you doing right now?"

"Nothing. Just sitting in the dark talking to you. You?"

"Same…I'm in bed though." I stayed quiet again. I was guessing he was getting nervous because I could practically hear his brain thinking and coming up with reasons as to why we weren't being our normal, perfect, happy selves. "So I should probably go…" He started, though his sentence drifted.

I nodded, rolling my eyes a little. It was 11o'clock. He had nowhere to be. "Yeah, yeah I should too."

"I'll talk to you tomorrow, I guess?" He asked, his voice still sounded nervous to me.

"Yeah. Tomorrow." I couldn't let this go this quickly. "Nate can I ask you something?"

"Yeah sure babe what's up?"

"Am I burden for you? Is this relationship getting too hard on you?"

He seemed caught off guard. "Huh? No? Why would this be too hard for me?"

"Well I don't know, maybe because you make it sound like you're too busy to see me, or that I'm just an after thought."

"Caity, you're not an after-"

"Why can't you be more like Shane, huh? Why can't you make me laugh like he makes Mitchie laugh? Why are you so sheltered and enclosed in your own little world? You don't tell me anything. The only things I know about you are from what the magazines tell me!"

"That's not fair, Caitlyn. So now you're comparing me to Shane?"

I sighed, "I'm not comparing you to him I just want to know why we can't have what they have! Why don't you tell me anything?!"

"We can't be like them because we're US, Caitlyn! I'm not Shane I'm Nate. I'm _me_."

"Ugh! I'm not saying I want you to be like Shane I'm just saying I want you to talk to me. That's what I'm here for! I feel like there's no emotional depth behind our relationship. Like I'm just here so you have someone to talk to."

"What the hell has gotten into you? We were fine just like two days ago!"

"No, we were fine because you ignore all the obvious signs of me being upset."

"Signs? What signs? When were you ever upset?"

"When you tell me you can't call to talk for two nights in a row and I send you a bunch of frowning faces isn't that a clue that maybe I miss you?"

"That was only once, Caitlyn! And you made it sound like I did it on purpose!"

"Well you did! Why else would you not call your girlfriend at 11o'clock at night?"

"Maybe because I was busy!"

"Busy doing _what,_ Nate?!" I was yelling into the phone at this point, and also noticed that I had tears streaming down my face. But I was too angry to care. I simply wiped them off, and continued to yell. "That's all you ever tell me! That you're 'busy'! Will you ever not be busy for a change? When will I matter to you?"

"God you blow everything way out of proportion! If I'm not perfect why don't you just break up with me? Huh?"

"Because I love you!" I had screamed it out loud before I had even realized what I had said. And before dealing with his reaction, I snapped my phone shut. _Damnit_. I was so screwed. My phone immediately started buzzing. Go figure, it was from Nate. I hit ignore and wiped the tears off of my face, before heading upstairs. I entered the bedroom to have Mitchie run to my side.

"What happened? I could hear you yelling at him from up here- is everything okay?" She asked, worriedly looking at me as she wrapped an arm around me. I shrugged her off and climbed into bed, acting like nothing happened.

"Everything's fine. I'll talk to you tomorrow, alright?"

Mitchie seemed confused. "Caitlyn, we should talk about it-"

"Tomorrow, Mitchie."

My tone must have said everything because Mitchie soon turned off the light after that. Once I was sure she had fallen asleep, I let myself full on sob my heart out. What was it with me and crying so much? Even I was getting annoyed and I was the one crying!

Every 5 minutes my phone rang, and I clutched it close to my heart, letting the feeling of the vibration lull me to sleep.

I woke up early to Mitchie and Connie arguing in whispers. I figured it would be best if I just pretended like I was still asleep.

"I heard her yelling last night what happened?" I heard Connie ask, as Mitchie replied.

"I think they got into a huge fight but I'm not sure. She wouldn't talk to me when she came upstairs she just kept saying she would talk to me about it tomorrow. I'm really worried, Mom, she has this tendency to push people away from her even though she's not meaning to. She's pushing away Nate more than he is her."

"Just give her some space, I'm sure her and Nate will be fine. They don't seem like the type to argue a lot over something really small."

Mitchie and Connie whispered some more after that but I didn't feel like straining to keep up with the conversation. I simply let myself fall back asleep. When I woke up again it was to my phone buzzing, I glanced at it, seeing it wasn't Nate but Shane. I quickly decided I wasn't ready to deal with Shane yelling at me either so I hit ignore, before glancing at my texts. I had 27 of them. I had to admit that at this moment I felt terrible. I was putting Nate through hell, if not worse. I honestly don't even know why he put up with me.

And so I had another break down, my second one in about the span of 8 hours. I didn't know what time it was, I didn't know what Mitchie was doing, and I didn't care that I hadn't taken a shower in 2 days. I was going to stay in bed till I was forced to get out. And the benefit of living with my best friend? She didn't let me sulk for too long. The third time I had woken up she had decided it was high time I got out of bed. She wasted no time getting right to business.

"Up." She ordered, pulling the blankets off of me. I groaned. "It's been a whole day that you've been in bed. You haven't talked to anybody, you haven't eaten anything and you haven't moved out of that bed in like 30 some hours. Now up!"

I glared but got up anyway, sleepwalking to the bathroom. She still managed to yell orders to me from outside the bathroom door.

"Take a shower and meet me outside. We have a lot of talking to do!"

Even though Mitchie hadn't said it directly, the shower felt amazing. It was kind of like I was washing away my worries and I was able to look at the whole Nate disaster through a different light. I felt like I had royally screwed up this time. We hadn't even been dating for a week and I had still managed to pick a fight. What was wrong with me?

Once outside I found Mitchie sitting on the steps, waiting, She gestured in front of her and I assumed we were taking a walk, so I began walking. Once again she got right down to what was going on.

"So what happened?"

I had to think for a moment, I didn't really understand what happened myself.

"He said that he was too busy to drive up and see me, but it made it sound like he didn't want to. Or like he was always just too busy for me. And for the past two nights he hadn't been able to call me but Shane had been able to call you. They're both running on like, the same schedule. Why could Shane call you but Nate couldn't? Anyways, so we yelled at each other for a little while about that…and then I sort of ended up blurting out that I loved him? After he suggested that I dump him."

Mitchie looked surprised and I sighed, shrugging a little. Not that I had said those 3 words they didn't feel so poisonous anymore.

"You told him you loved him?" She asked, glancing over at me. I shrugged,

"Yeah. I think I've always loved him but I've never just had the guts to say anything to him. And now I think I ruined everything." I could feel my body slowly slipping into another breakdown, but Mitchie wouldn't let me go there again. She held me until I stopped shaking, proud that I hadn't cried at all. "Do you think he'll ever talk to me again?" I croaked, looking up at her.

"I don't know," She answered honestly, but then she smiled a little, "I think he might though since you have about 50 messages and voicemails on your phone."

I laughed a little, nodding, she was right. "I want him to make the effort to talk to me, though. So I don't think I'm going to talk to him for a while. I mean we have the perfect relationship but I think I just need time away from him."

Mitchie nodded- she seemed to understand. "Word of advice? Maybe you should text him once, so he knows you're still alive and out of hibernation mode."

I made a face, "I was never in hibernation mode." I defended, wrinkling my eyebrows.

"Cait…do you know what day it is?" I shook my head, no, I didn't. "It's Friday."

"Friday?! What! I've been sleeping for a whole day and more?" She nodded, looking kind of sad.

"I was really worried about you, there." She said honestly, frowning. I felt even guiltier now.

"I'm sorry Mitch. I didn't know I was out for that long. I think I didn't want to have to face the world so I just hid instead. I won't let it happen again." She smiled at me and we hugged.

When we had gotten back to our room I had noticed it was 9 in the morning. I now had 62 text messages and 12 voicemails. I stared at my phone sadly, not knowing what to do. I was firm in what I had said; I wanted Nate to change a little. I wanted him to tell me things and I wanted him to open up. I also wanted him to fight for me. I wanted him to know and prove that this was what he wanted. So instead of reading through all the text messages and the voicemails, I deleted everything except my newest text message and newest voicemail. The text message read: _Baby, I really hope you're okay. Please just talk to me…I'm so worried about you. I love you. I really love you; I want to show you that I love you. I just need to know you're okay…_

I almost started crying at that text, too. But instead I took a few deep breaths and texted back the following: _I'm fine. Sorry for being a bear in hibernation. _It wasn't nearly everything I wanted to say, but it would do for now. I didn't want to patch up my relationship via text messages. That was sketchy.

Then I went ahead to listen to my voicemail. I was surprised when I heard Shane's voice though; I had been expecting Nate's.

_"Would you please just text the boy back something? Just one damn word please? If I hear one more statistic about how common it is for girls your age to commit suicide after a break up- __**No, Man, don't tell her that!" **_I could hear Nate's voice in the background and my heart swelled. Even though they were sort of messing around, I could tell he had not gotten any sleep at all since our phone conversation. I again felt guilty. _"Anyways, please just let him know you're alive so you two can get over this. I'm sick of being in the middle. Bye Cait. __**Tell her I love her!**_" I could practically see in my head an image of Shane rolling his eyes. _"The pansy says he loves you." _He hung up and even though it had been quite a depressing voicemail, I couldn't help but laugh a little.

I felt like a huge burden had been lifted off my shoulders. Nate obviously still really cared about me, and wanted to prove it to me. Which is all I had really wanted in the first place.

We left for the studio at 3 in the afternoon so we could get there by 4. Once we had arrived, I was a little distraught to see that Connect 3 had already gotten there. I sighed, not knowing if I was ready to handle seeing Nate again and be able to stand my ground. When I made eye contact with Nate he looked at me with apologetic eyes, and I noticed his face soften. I half smiled at him before walking off with Don into the producing booth to lay down the track for Mitchie and Shane to sing.

Just listening to those two harmonize made me sick. They were perfect for each other. Their voices naturally matched each other's without us having to mess with anything, and the love and adoration they had for each other could be seen in their eyes. They didn't need to look at the words to know what they were singing because they were simply expressing what they were feeling. It was the most incredible thing I had ever witnessed in my entire life.

After messing with the song a few different ways, we all agreed that it was best the way they had sung it at Final Jam, with only a few tweaks on the beat and timing for when Shane came in and begun singing. Honestly, the entire 4 hours went by in a haze to me. It was 9o'clock by the time we were all done. I could tell Mitchie was tired because she was leaning close to Shane a lot so he could support her stand. I looked away, taking off my headphones and slipping out of the booth and walking outside, only to want to walk right back in again. Nate was outside too.

--

Ugh I know this is totally lame. But it's 4 in the morning and seriously? I'm dead. I better get mad reviews for this 'cause I was up late to the wee hours of the morning writing this for all you amazing people. :) It's also like, the longest Chapter I've written yet so be happy!! I probably won't update till another day or so. Sorry guys!


	5. Chapter 5

More reviews! Aw! You guys are too good to me. So this is my FAVORITE Naitlyn chapter EVER. And I mean ever. This is just adorable, and normally I wouldn't say this because a lot of the time I don't think my writing is good, but this is just…it's amazing. Feel free to aw out loud. :)

Alsooo. WritingSia asked what time zone I was in, so I'll explain how my writing process occurs. Haha. Every night at about midnight the internet gets cut at my house, because of my parents, (I guess they don't want me online till really late. Haha. Go figure) so what ends up happening is that I stay up super late (like 3 or 4 in the morning usually) finishing up the story, then in the morning when I get up I post it. Which is why you normally see it up at around Noon or so. :) So yeah, I think that was all the questions I had…now back to writing!

--

I didn't know if I was ready to talk to Nate yet, but I knew I didn't have a choice. I had shut him out for much too long and I knew that if I didn't talk to him soon I might actually do some real damage. I wrapped my arms around myself, glancing over at him before fixing my eyes upon the ground. _Come on Nate, _I thought to myself, _please say something._ It was as if he had read my mind.

"Caitlyn…I'm so sorry." He began, sighing. "I'm a very independent person and I'm used to dealing with my problems all by myself. So when you came into my life I didn't really know what to do. Plus…you're the first real relationship that I've ever been in." He looked over at me right when I had chosen to look up. I saw his eyes soften as he looked at me. "I guess I sorta freaked. I'm sorry."

I stayed quiet for a moment, thinking about what he had said. It almost sounded like he was begging for me to come back. Not directly, but subconsciously I think.

"I just wanted you to know that I'm here for you…sometimes I think you get the impression that you're all alone. And that hurts me." I said softly, but maintaining eye contact with him.

"I know. And I realize what I'm doing to you now, I just wasn't aware of it before. It won't happen again, I promise."

"But how can you say that?" I was struggling with what he was saying. I knew he was being sincere but I couldn't see him changing. "People can't just change, Nate. Not unless they really want to."

"Well how do you know that I don't really want to? I'll be anything you want me to be. All you have to do is ask and I'll be that person for you."

I sighed, shaking my head, "Nate, I don't want you to change because of me, I just want you to open up to me. You know when I said I loved you?"

He chuckled, and nodded, "Yeah I think I heard it when you yelled it at me."

I blushed, but kept on going. "Well I'm in love with everything about you. That's what love is. It's loving everything about that person, their good qualities _and _their bad." I didn't know if he understood what I was saying, but I added quietly, "I don't want you to change…if you did then you would be a different Nate. Not the Nate I fell in love with."

It was then that he moved towards me and wrapped his arms around me. I leaned into him allowing his strong muscles to hold me while I buried my face into his chest.

"So basically all I have to do to keep you happy is talk to you?" He asked, joking a little. I laughed softly, nodding. "This shouldn't be too hard then."

I wrapped my arms tighter around him, allowing myself to be warmed by his entire body. We stayed like that for a while, in each other's arms, occasionally making small talk. But for the most part we just stood there, cuddled. I didn't really know what we were waiting for, but we were just standing. It was really peaceful.

After a while, (it felt like a really long time but it had probably only been like 5 minutes), I noticed it started to get really cold, which was weird because it was only the beginning of September, and I was about to suggest we go inside when suddenly it began pouring down rain on us. I squealed, immediately moving out of his grasp to run inside. He caught my wrist a split second before I could though, and pulled me towards him. He was grinning.

"Nate, my hair's going to get frizzy." I whined, trying to move out of his grasp. He kept grinning, like he didn't care. I glared.

"How often is it that I get to kiss my girlfriend in the rain?" He asked, as he interlaced both our hands together and pulled me to him. I was about to answer when I noticed he didn't really want one. Instead he leaned down, capturing me in one of our most powerful kisses yet. Yes, even more amazing then our first kiss. There was something special about kissing in the rain. And the way he kissed me this time was totally different than all the other times. There was so much passion and emotion in this kiss that when we finally broke apart I felt light headed and dizzy. He smirked, glad to have that affect on me as he leaned his forehead against mine. He shut his eyes and whispered very softly,

"I love you."

It was the first time I had ever heard him say it out loud, and I wanted him to say it again. I leaned away from him a little, forcing him to open his eyes and look into mine. He knew what I was asking, so he said it again.

"I love you Caitlyn. With all my heart."

I grinned and jumped onto him, laughing as he caught me and twirled me around in the rain. I wrapped my legs around his waist, peering down at him before placing both my hands on his cheeks, and kissing him again. When I pulled back and looked into his eyes there was a gleam in them that hadn't been there before.

"I love you Nate." I said sincerely, giving him a hug before allowing him to drop me to the ground.

"We should get inside." He said, laughing a little as he noticed that we were completely soaked. I nodded, laughing too.

Even though we had broken our embrace, he still wouldn't let go of me. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, using that hand to interlace fingers with my hand. I looked up at him lovingly, and smiled. This was the happiest I had ever been in my entire life.

We entered the studio, laughing still over what happened, and when we looked up found Mitchie and Shane staring at us. We stopped laughing but kept the smiles on our faces as Shane made a face.

"What were_ you_ guys doing?" He asked accusingly, narrowing his eyes. Mitchie whacked him in the arm and glared at him, rolling her eyes.

"Shane!"

"What?" He asked, totally clueless. She smiled at me happily, and I gave her a subtle nod to signal that everything was better now. I leaned into Nate and he kissed the side of my head, making my whole body tingle.

"It started to rain outside." I said, giving Shane an explanation since he was still waiting for one. He nodded, and I could practically see a light bulb ding in his head. I stifled a laugh, looking over at Mitchie.

Mitchie honestly looked happy for us, and I realized that even though Shane and Mitchie were holding hands and looking happy, I wasn't jealous anymore. Because as funny as Shane was, he wasn't who I had fallen in love with. Nope, I had fallen in love with someone even more amazing, and that boy was Nate Presley.

That weekend Nate and I never stopped talking unless we had to sleep. And even then we would fall asleep talking on the phone at 3 or 4 in the morning. He called me in the mornings and would leave me a cute voice mail to wake up to, as well as a text that usually said _Morning Baby. :) Sleep well? _And if I woke up before him, then I would leave him a voice mail and a text to wake up to. I found that our relationship was developing quickly, and I liked it. He had even once told me we were Inseparable.

Everyday I found out something new about him, just from texting. He wasn't a very complex guy, but he told me a lot of funny stories about his childhood and I could tell that he was really trying to make sure I knew everything about him. And even though he didn't ask anything about me or from me, I tried to keep it fair by telling him a bunch of my secrets and embarrassing moments and stories. I was so happy with the way things were going that on Monday night I didn't even realize that the next day I had to go to school until Mitchie asked me what I was going to wear the following day.

"What do you mean what am I going to wear?" I asked her, after texting back Nate. "I'll get up and wear whatever. We'll just be around the house anyway." Mitchie looked at me weird, and I started to have a mini panic attack. "What?" I asked her, my eyes widening,

Mitchie spoke slowly, "Cait, we have our first day of school tomorrow…"

'WHAT?!" I yelled, instantly freaking out. "We have our first day at school tomorrow and you didn't _tell _me?!"

"Cait you've known about this all week!" Mitchie said, trying not to laugh. I scowled, throwing a pillow at her. "Hey!" She screamed, laughing. She picked up the pillow and looked at me with a smirk on her face. "Oh, it's on now, _Nait." _She growled, throwing the pillow back at me as I ducked and scoffed.

I looked back up and stuck my tongue out at her. "Whatever you say, _Smitch._" I saw Mitchie scoff too and laughed, grabbing another pillow while I threw two more at her. She screamed again and before we knew it we were running all around our bedroom, with pillows flying everywhere and other soft objects being thrown at each other. Not too long after this started, though, we heard a yell from downstairs, we both froze.

"Mitchie?! Caitlyn?! Is everything alright up there?" We heard Steve (Mitchie's dad) call up to us.

We both stared at each other, eyes wide, I was standing on my bed with a pillow half in my hand and half ready to be thrown, and Mitchie had been caught mid-running towards me. "YES!" We shouted simultaneously, before bursting into fits of laughter. I fell onto my bed, not being able to breathe while Mitchie rolled around on the floor, holding her stomach.

"O-okay." I said, gasping for air, as Mitchie laughed harder but tried to control herself.

"All-alright. I think- I think we're- we're good." She said in between laughs, before both us took 3 big and deep calming breaths. I climbed off my bed, and sat next to her on the floor, leaning against her bed, before extending my hand to her.

"Truce?" I asked.

"Truce." She said, shaking my hand. "Though don't ever call me _Smitch _again. It's weird enough having people call Shane and I '_Smitchie'_ when we're together."

I laughed, nodding. "Fine. Then don't ever call me _Nait_ again. It's weird enough having people call us '_Naitlyn'._"

We both agreed before I turned to our closet, groaning. "What am I going to _wear_?" I asked, suddenly feeling really girly. Generally I sorta just wore whatever I felt like wearing and didn't really care what other people thought of me. But this was different. Mitchie had friends and she had grown up with these people probably since pre-school, I didn't want to embarrass her or anything. But Mitchie didn't seem too concerned.

"Just wear what you would if you were going to your old school. You look good in anything." She said honestly, smiling at me. I smiled back, suddenly feeling very grateful for having a best friend like her.

"But I would still feel more comfortable if I knew what I was going to wear tomorrow." Mitchie nodded- she seemed to understand.

"Let's pick our outfits out together." She said, grinning and suddenly getting excited. We both stood up and started leafing through all the clothes in our closet. First, we found out how we were going to wear our hair. Mitchie said she would just wear it down (as usual) and I decided I would braid my hair tonight so that in the morning it would be wavy. Then I might in a beret or something if I thought it looked good.

And so, we worked from there.

"Okay, we'll get you settled first." She said, taking charge. "First off, I think you look really good in bright colors. So I was thinking an orange or blue tank top with maybe a green shirtsleeve hoodie over it. What do you think?"

She pulled out the clothes she had been describing and I looked at them, alternating between the orange and blue, trying to think of what color would go best with green.

"Hmmm." I said, looking at it with a determined face, "I'm not really feelin' the hoodie." I said, tossing them aside, "Here, let me look for a second….aha! What about this?" I pulled out a sort of silvery shirt with a navy blue vest over it, holding it out so she could see it.

Mitchie nodded, pointing at it. "Definitely. Oh! And you could wear your sorta faded blue jeans with them with your dark blue converse!"

I grinned, jumping up and down excitedly. "Totally! And I was also thinking I would wear that silver necklace that my Mom gave me before I left, it has a key on it."

"Aww!" Mitchie said, nodding, "That will look _so_ cute."

After I had arranged out everything and laid them out on my dresser with was on the other side of the room, I turned towards Mitchie and saw her raise her eyebrows.

"Your turn." I said, skipping over to the closet. "Okay, well, first off, you need boots. Because you look amazing in them and they make you look super thin and tall." Mitchie laughed but seemed to agree. I continued, "Do you want to wear a dress?" She looked at me a little skeptically so I decided against it. "Okay, then here's what I think, how bout you wear your maroon baby doll top, the long sleeve one, with black jeans, and your brown boots? And then maybe you could wear a necklace or something with it?"

Mitchie thought about it for a moment, then walked to the closet and pulled out the clothes I had suggested, and laid them out, staring at each piece carefully.

"I think I'm going to go with the light brown boots, instead of the dark ones, and maybe go with my dark skinny jeans instead of just the plain back ones. But the top, I definitely love."

I nodded, agreeing as she pulled out the other clothes she had settled on. Then we stepped back and stared at both the outfits. Mitchie had also pulled out a long necklace with a bunch of random things attached to the chain and set it on the top. I had suggested she choose silver, like me, but she said the gold would match the boots and I agreed.

The outfits were perfect.

After we both shared an excited scream, we both cleaned up the mess we had made, before laying down on our beds, apologizing to our needy boyfriends as to why the both of us at gone silent for 45 minutes. I explained to Nate that we had an outfit crisis and I could practically see him laughing at me.

I was about to text him back telling him not to make fun of me when Mitchie suddenly sat up, eyes wide, and stared at me.

"Oh, my god." She said, still staring at me.

I looked at her, way confused. "What?!" I asked,

"What do we tell people? Do they know that we're dating _Shane Grey_ and _Nate Presley?"_

My eyes widened too, I hadn't even thought about all the questions we were going to get asked if people knew.

I grabbed my phone, pressing 1 and putting it on speakerphone, then I ushered Mitchie onto my bed and we both sat across from each other, the phone in-between us as we waited.

"What's up Caity?" Nate's voice greeted us, and Mitchie quickly asked,

"Is Shane with you?"

"Yeah…why? Where's Caitlyn? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I'm here. We just have something really important to ask you two."

"Um…okay hold on let me grab Shane." We heard some rustling and a lot of 'ow's and 'what do you want's before Shane finally came to the phone.

"What do you want Caitlyn? I was watching a special on Connect 3." He whined into the phone as Mitchie and I rolled our eyes.

"Oh whatever, Shane, you probably just recorded it anyway." Mitchie said, a little bit of an attitude edged in her voice but I knew they were just joking around.

Shane was about to reply but I cut him off, knowing that if I let them argue we would be on the phone all night.

"So Mitchie and I want to know," I said loudly, causing Shane to stop talking. "What are we supposed to tell people if they ask whether or not we're dating you guys?"

I could tell both were thinking hard as Mitchie and I sat there, waiting. Shane was the first one to speak.

"You could play dumb." He suggested.

"Yeah but how long would that last?" I asked, thinking about it, "Besides, isn't there going to be like paparazzi on you and Mitchie sooner or later?"

"Caitlyn's right," Nate, said, agreeing with me, "Somebody's going to get pictures of all of us sooner or later, and it's better to come clean the first time then to have the press going around saying we lied."

We were all quiet for another long moment, trying to decide on what to do.

"Why don't we tell the truth, but not talk about it? Like Mitchie and I will keep it quiet unless somebody asks, then we'll tell him or her the truth once they do. Otherwise we won't say a word."

"Can we tell Sierra, though?" Mitchie asked, referring to Sierra as her best friend since forever. I nodded; Sierra had more than earned the right to know whom Mitchie was dating.

"I think as long as she doesn't spread it- I don't see why you can't." Shane said, in response to Mitchie's question since he hadn't seen me nod.

"Don't worry, Sierra's not the type to spread stuff like that." Mitchie promised him, and I smiled at her. I noticed that Nate hadn't said anything in a while.

"Nate?" I asked, waiting for an answer, "You there?"

"I'm here." He said, "Just thinking."

"What about?" Mitchie asked, as she looked at me with a confused expression. I shrugged. Nate was always the thinker, so perhaps he was just worried about something that we had all overlooked. Besides, I hadn't even heard him agree to what we had said yet.

"Well, I was just sitting here wondering. I mean what does it matter who we are? We're just people. People who happen to sing and get our faces put in magazines but I mean really, what's the big deal? I'm surprised kids at your school even care."

I sighed. I should have known Nate would take the defensive side of this. Mitchie was about to say something but I held up my hand signaling that I should talk to him.

"Nate, I don't think it's about who you are…I think it's more about what you boys have managed to do." I thought about what I had said, trying to determine if it made sense or not. "What I mean is that most- not all, _most _–girls love you guys because of your music and how you've managed to not let fame get to you. I know a lot of girls at my old school that got inspired by you guys to do many things. Some have become inspired to play guitar, others to sing, maybe even to learn how to play Piano or write lyrics. You guys are a good role model."

Mitchie nodded, "Plus the fact that you guys are extremely attractive probably doesn't hurt, either." I heard Nate laugh so I figured it was safe for me to laugh, too. "But on a more serious note, Caitlyn's right, Nate. And you too Shane if you've ever wondered this. You guys are incredible boys, including Jason, and you really give back to your fans, which is why they care about you 3 so much. You should feel proud that people care about you as much as they do."

"I agree." I stated, mouthing 'good one' to Mitchie. She always had a way with words, that one.

"Yeah you guys are right. I guess I just got defensive." Nate concluded, and I could tell through his voice that it wasn't bothering him anymore. "Now are we done here? 'Cause I don't mean to be rude, but I would like to talk to my girlfriend alone. I miss my Pookie bear."

Shane burst out laughing and I could tell Mitchie was trying hard not to laugh as she looked at me and said, "Okay, you are _so_ telling me the story behind this tomorrow on the way to school."

I blushed, wishing Nate were here so I could smack him. It didn't help any when Shane added into the conversation.

"Yeah dude, what's that? 'Pookie Bear'?" He was still laughing and I heard a faint Nate say,

"Shut up man! She likes it when I call her that. Now go home I want to talk to Caitlyn."

"I think you mean your Pookie Bear." Shane sneered, and I rolled my eyes. He was probably just jealous he hadn't thought of a nickname for Mitchie. Mitchie could see I was embarrassed so she quickly yelled at Shane.

"Shane! Stop being a jerk and leave so you can call me."

I heard Shane mutter something followed by a possible punch from Nate before finally he returned to the phone.

"Stupid Shane." Nate said darkly. I giggled, wiggling under my covers and turning off the light so I would feel more in private with Nate. I turned my back towards Mitchie, and rolled on my side, slipping the phone beneath my ear and pillow.

"I hate to say it, hun, but you brought it on yourself."

"I know." He sighed, and I could hear him also climbing into bed. "You nervous for tomorrow?"

It was my turn to sigh, "Not really. I mean I know I'm going to have Mitchie with me at all times if worst comes to worst, and we got our schedules last week and we're in all the same classes. So I'm not too stressed about it. I don't know…"

"You'll do great, baby, I know it." He reassured me and I smiled. He always knew just what to say to make me feel better. "Oh and if girls give you too much trouble about you dating me or whatever, feel free to text me, okay? I'll text you back immediately, even if I'm in recording."

"Aw, thanks, Nate." I said, yawning a little.

"You sound tired," Nate said, sounding a little worried, "You should go to bed- you have to get up early in the morning."

"It's not that late, though." I whined, even though my body was practically screaming at me to go to sleep.

"Uh, Babe, it's midnight." Nate said.

"What? Really?" I asked, totally surprised. "I guess that phone conversation took longer than I thought."

"Yeah, go to bed Caity. I'll talk to you in the morning alright?"

I nodded, yawning again. "Okay. Love you."

"I love you, too." After he hung up, I snapped my phone shut and lay there for a while, thinking.

"What would I do without him?" I wondered out loud.

"I ask myself that everyday." Mitchie responded.

I turned to face her, and we both lay on our sides, smiling at each other.

"I love him." I said, grinning as I said so.

"I know you do." Mitchie said, also grinning. "And I love _him._" She said, referring to Shane.

"I know you do." I said back.

--

Ahhhh! Kudos to Allison for making this chap 10 pages long! I've never made anything that long before. Review pleaaseee! D I hope you guys liked this chapter cause I loved it!!


	6. Chapter 6

I have a feeling this is going to be a blah chapter, because my mood is blah. I had work today and those kids wiped me out. -.- But I wanted to give back to all my loyal readers, so here I am writing even though I'd much rather be sleeping. I must really love you guys. :)

--

"I still don't get it. Where did 'Pookie' come from?" I had been trying to explain to Mitchie for the past 45 minutes as to why Nate called me his "Pookie Bear". She still didn't seem to understand.

"What do you mean, where does it come from? It's just a nickname! Like if Shane called you his cupcake or something."

She looked at me with a confused expression and I threw my hands in the air, exasperated. It was just a nickname; he called me it because he thought it was cute. The end.

"Yeah but cupcake is like, cute. Pookie bear is just…well I don't know what it is but it isn't normal."

"What do you mean it isn't normal?!" I cried as I messed with my hair, trying to make it look good. It wasn't working.

"Well for one, what does Pookie even mean? It's like totally random and doesn't even go with your name or anything, and second, when did he even start to call you that? This is the first time I've ever heard it."

"He started calling me that after we made up, I guess. After our huge fight I guess we became closer." I shrugged, deciding to just give up on explaining. I had noticed that Mitchie and Shane were sort of drifting, but I never said anything. I didn't want it to seem like I was in a perfect relationship and she wasn't. Plus I wasn't one to brag about what I had. Even if the person I had was _Nate Presley. _

I had told Nate the night before that I wasn't at all worried about going to school. I lied. As Mitchie and I appeared closer and closer to the school I found that the butterflies in my stomach were increasing, most likely multiplying as well. Mitchie seemed equally as nervous as me.

When we approached our lockers, we began to pile all of our books (which weigh like 1,000 tons, by the way) into them, before turning around to see a girl running towards us. Well, she was running towards Mitchie.

"Mitchie!" The girl screamed, embracing her in a tight hug. "How was your summer? How was Camp Rock?" She glanced over at me, ignoring that I was there but I didn't let it bother me. I just leaned against my locker and waited for Mitchie to introduce me.

"Summer was amazing! I have so much to tell you! But first, I want you to meet my second all time best friend in the whole wide world asides from you- Caitlyn. Sierra, Caitlyn. Cait, Sierra."

I felt flattered by her introduction of me and blushed a little, before waving at Sierra.

"Hey." I said politely, smiling. Sierra seemed cool enough, but I felt like it would take us a long time to become even close friends.

She smiled though, and gave me a quick hug. "I've heard so much about you! It's nice to finally meet you! I'm excited that it's going to be the 3 of us instead of just me 'n Mitch all the time. Welcome to the Club!"

"Thanks." I laughed. Knowing that I already had two friends at the school made thinking about it and dealing with it a lot easier.

Aha. My dream world came tumbling down during 1st period when Taylor, the Tess Tyler of our High School, decided she should bring it to the world's attention as to whom we were dating.

"So, _Caitlyn_, huh?" She asked, drawling out my name sickeningly. "Are you the Caitlyn that Nate's been writing songs about?"

Mitchie snapped her head up, looking at me with a confused expression. I was equally confused.

"Songs? Nate hasn't written any songs about me." I said, feeling the need to defend our relationship.

I saw Taylor roll her eyes. "Oh please. _And even when we're miles and miles apart, you're still holding all of my heart, I promise it will never be dark, I know, we're Inseparable." _She recited.

I felt like throwing up. And I must have looked like it, too, because Mitchie quickly came to my rescue.

"Leave her alone, Taylor. She didn't do anything to you."

That wasn't so smart of Mitchie though, because I knew from experience from people like her that Taylor's attention was now on her. And she was going to give her crap about dating Shane.

"Oh but she has. And so have you. Who are _you_ to be dating _Connect 3_? Last year you were loser Mitchie who only had one friend. And now all of a sudden you go to Camp Rock and you're 'it' now. Only because you're dating Shane Grey. You're not even his type anyway."

I just looked up at her, disgusted. It was Sierra's turn to butt in.

"Obviously she's his_ type_, you blonde bimbo, otherwise they still wouldn't be dating." Sierra snapped, glaring at Taylor.

I saw Taylor stand there for a few minutes, probably deciding on whether or not she was worth her time. She must have decided she wasn't because with a faint "Whatever." She sat in her seat, facing the front of the classroom where Economics was soon going to start.

The bell rang, and even as the Teacher began talking, I wasn't listening. I was still wondering about that song that Taylor had recited. It sounded so familiar, and yet I couldn't pick up on it. I also didn't know if Nate had sung it to me before or not or if it was new…I decided I would ask Mitchie at lunch.

"Have you ever heard him or Shane singing it?" I asked desperately, trying to grab any information out of her as I possibly could. I wanted to know why it sounded so…mine.

"Nope. Never. That's the first time I ever heard those lyrics. They were probably fake though, since Taylor likes lying a lot." Mitchie said sourly, pushing the food that she had barely touched away from her. We were all pretty disgusted, especially since every period after that Taylor had smoothly confirmed any suspicions that we were dating the boys. Uh, jealous much?

"Why don't you just ask Nate about it?" Sierra suggested, looking up from the book she was reading.

I shook my head. I had already thought about this. "The boys love showering us with surprises. I don't want to ruin Nate's if he wants to sing it to me on our anniversary or something."

Mitchie seemed to understand.

"It's true. One day when I came home late after recording with him, he surprised me in my bedroom and sang to me "Gotta Find You" on my guitar, explaining that he was grateful I was putting up with all the tedious strain I was putting on my voice. You never know what to expect from those boys."

For a second I thought I saw a flash of jealousy in Sierra's eyes, but it must have been my imagination because she was already smiling at both of us, saying how awesome it must be to date them. I guess it was pretty amazing.

By the end of school I still hadn't shaken off those lyrics. It just sounded like something so familiar to me it was driving me insane. I voiced my concerns to Mitchie as we were walking home from School.

"I feel like I've heard it before, but then at the same time it sounds completely new."

Mitchie sighed. "Maybe they're just fake lyrics. I mean how could Connect 3 release a new single without us knowing about it? They tell us everything."

She was right about that. "Yeah but they don't sound like fake lyrics…they really sound like something Nate would say to me."

"Then why don't you just ask him, so we can solve this mystery and move on with our lives?"

I could tell she was growing impatient with me so I nodded, promising I would. And I did. The second I got home and Mitchie got into the shower; I called Nate as I flopped onto my bed, sighing loudly.

He picked up on the second ring.

"-'Lo?" He asked. You think he'd have caller ID by now.

"Hey. It's me."

"Oh hey baby." His voice seemed to brighten and I could tell he was smiling. "How was your first day of school?"

"It was…interesting. I got interrogated by the Tess Tyler of my school."

"Oh yeah?" Nate seemed less than thrilled. "Were there any real injuries?"

"No. She was just being annoying. And plus after Sierra called her a blonde bimbo she pretty much stayed quiet for the rest of the day."

Nate laughed. He seemed to be impressed. "Blonde bimbo, eh? Well at lease someone's sticking up for my girl."

My heart meted at his possessive nickname. After our first major fight I had found that we had resorted to calling each other pet names a lot more often. Like baby, babe, and honey. And what was even weirder was that I found myself liking the names, and sometimes even calling him one or two of them, too. Our relationship had a much better flow to it, and I was grateful to be blessed with a guy like him.

"How was your day?" I asked, reciprocating the caring question back to him.

"Eh, same old same old. Shane threw an "I miss Mitchie" fit after he couldn't hit the right notes on the song he's singing for the New Album, and then I followed with an "I miss Caitlyn" fit, which then resulted in a very long lecture from our manager about how you girls shouldn't be distracting us." He laughed. "Don't worry though, he still loves you girls. He just thinks we're too attached."

"I don't think you're too attached…" I pouted, suddenly missing the feeling of being in Nate's arms.

He seemed to understand. "Me neither. God, I miss you." He said painfully, and I could imagine him closing his eyes at this point. I felt like I wanted to cry. But I didn't, because I knew I had given him way too many water works in just this past week. I wanted to give him a break.

"I miss you, too." I said sadly, pulling the blankets over my tired body as if their warmth would make up for Nate's absence. They couldn't. We both stayed quiet as a comfortable silence loomed over us. I was the first to break it. "So, Taylor, the girl I was telling you about, the Tess Tyler wannabe? Yeah well she said something…and I just wanted to know if it was true. Do you mind if I ask you?"

"No of course not, Pookie. What did she say?'

"Well, it's not what she said…exactly…" I was stuttering: number one sign that I was nervous. "It was what she recited. She asked me if I was the Caitlyn you sang about in your songs, and I said no, because I wasn't aware that you had written any songs about me. And then she recited this: _And even when we're miles and miles apart, you're still holding all of my heart, I promise it will never be dark, I know, we're Inseparable." _Nate was silent, so I quickly filled the gap. "It doesn't really matter, I mean if they are, that's okay. It was just sorta bothering me cause I didn't know if they're your lyrics or not…are they?"

He was silent for another long while. And when he spoke, he spoke very calmly.

"They're mine." Was all he said. He sounded almost disappointed.

"Oh." I realized maybe he had wanted to sing it to me as a surprise. So I began talking quickly again to fix the damage. "I'm sorry- if it was a surprise or something. I mean I don't know if it was- but I wouldn't want to ruin anything."

"Why do you automatically conclude that I have a surprise for you? Who said I have a surprise for you?"

I was taken aback by the harshness in his words.

"Well…I-I didn't. You just seem disappointed. O-or something." He hadn't talked to me like that since our last fight, and now I was getting nervous that maybe we were going to slip into another fight. I didn't want to fight with him. Not now. I was too exhausted and stressed to deal with it.

Plus, I was feeling cramps in my stomach and having severe back pain. Which was the intro to, you guessed it, my period. And me on my period is not a happy sight, let me tell you. One day, generally the first, I'll be super depressed. And I'll cry about anything. My pain will be the worst this day and I won't want to do anything but wallow. Then the next day the pain will reduce but I'll be really moody. Like bite your head off if you annoy me, moody. And for a week or so it'll continue like that, my pain generally leaving by the 4th or 5th day, but still going through terrible hormonal mood swings. Nate had never experienced this side of me, and I wasn't too thrilled to let him see it. I myself wasn't too fond of it either.

"I'm not disappointed." He snapped. Though his voice seemed to say otherwise. I felt like crying. Stupid hormones. "So you've never heard those lyrics before?" He asked, searching for an honest answer.

"No." I supplied.

"And you don't even know why they sound familiar to you at all?"

"No." I squeaked even softer this time, starting to feel guilty.

After another moment of silence he said,

"Check billboard on tv, it'll tell you everything."

Before I had a chance to respond, he had hung up. I was about to start bawling my eyes out when I heard Connie yell to me from downstairs. I quickly gathered myself before running down, entering into the Kitchen quickly.

"What?" I asked, looking all around as if something had happened.

"Just watch." She said, pointing to the tv. I looked at her for a moment, before turning my attention to the tv which had Billboard Charts on full blast. I was about to ask her what she was yelling at me for, till Nate's beautiful face came onto the screen. I stared back at him.

_"So, today is my girl's first day of school. And I know it's going to be tough for her, so I wrote this song to give her the strength to get through it today. So, Caitlyn, this is for you. I love you." _

He smiled into the camera, (though it felt like he was smiling at me), before picking up his acoustic Guitar and began strumming the first few chords of the song.

When he began to sing, his voice was unlike any other time I had ever heard him. This was different- he was serenading me.

_Take my hand tonight,_

_We can run so far._

_We can change the world, _

_To anything we want._

_We could stop for hours, _

_Just staring at the stars. _

_They shine down to show us,_

_You know when the sun forgets to shine,_

_I'll be there to hold you through the night._

_We'll be running so fast, _

_We could fly, tonight._

_And even when we're miles and miles apart,_

_You're still holding all of my heart._

_I promise it will never be dark, _

_I know, we're Inseparable._

After the first chorus I was in tears. I knew he was talking about me. Heck, the whole world knew it. And they all would have known it even without him saying that he was. 'You're still holding all of my heart', that explained the charm he had given me with half of his heart on it. I really did own it.

_We could run forever,_

_If you wanted to._

_And I would not get tired,_

_Because I'll be with you._

_I'll keep singin' this song,_

_Till the very end. _

_We have done, all these things._

_You know when the sun forgets to shine,_

_I'll be there to hold you through the night._

_We'll be running so fast, _

_We could fly, tonight._

_And even when we're miles and miles apart,_

_You're still holding all of my heart._

_I promise it will never be dark, _

_I know, we're Inseparable._

I knew the important part was coming up now, because the strumming on his Guitar had gotten louder and I could tell by his facial expressions that what he was really going to mean whatever he was about to say.

_I would give it all,_

_Never let you fall._

_Cause you know, _

_We're Inseparable. _

_I would give it all,_

_Just to show you I'm in love._

_Cause you know,_

_We're Inseparable._

_You know when the sun forgets to shine,_

_I'll be there to hold you through the night._

_We'll be running so fast, _

_We could fly, tonight._

_And even when we're miles and miles apart,_

_You're still holding all of my heart._

_I promise it will never be dark, _

_I know, we're Inseparable_

The song ended, and a reporter who was smiling now filled the screen. _"This new Connect 3 single is titled 'Inseparable', and has blown away the charts, placing in number 2 after just being released today. I can tell you one thing- wherever Caitlyn is out there; she sure is a lucky girl. Millions of girls would kill for a guy like that."_

I hadn't noticed that Connie was holding me until she had stroked my hair, bringing me back to my senses. I was actually sobbing, and shaking uncontrollably. Nate had possibly just done the sweetest thing on the planet for me, and I hadn't even acknowledged it or seen it on the right time to give him the credit he deserved for it.

"Call him, sweetie." Connie said softly, handing me the phone, "He really loves you. He can't stay mad at you forever."

I was going to wait to call till after I had calmed down, but I had realized that the only thing that would sooth me was if I heard Nate's voice, so I picked up the phone, dialing his number as I laid on the couch. Hormonal, sobbing, gasping and all. Boy, he sure did put up with a lot.

I didn't think twice about what to say once he had answered the phone.

"N-nate I'm s-s-so s-sorry." I hiccuped. "I d-didn't kn-know you had that planned for me in the m-morning or I wouldn't h-have m-missed it for the world. I love you. I l-love you. I'm-"

"Cait, baby, please remember to breathe." He interrupted calmly, but warmly, I could sense he was still a little angry, but at least he wasn't yelling at me. I waited till I had calmed down considerably before starting up again.

"I'm sorry, Nate. I am s-so sorry. I didn't know. It was so sweet of you to do that for me. I love you so much for that. You're the best boyfriend I could ever ask for. Please forgive me…"

He chuckled. "What's there to forgive? All you did was not turn on tv in the morning…I was stupid for not telling you to watch it. I just figured since you always watched the channel to keep posted on the music ratings that you would watch it but it was my mistake. I'm sorry for overreacting."

"You didn't overreact." I shook my head, "You had every right to be mad and I'm sorry this didn't go as planned for you…"

"Hey, don't beat yourself up over this alright? My whole goal was that you just saw it, and you did. Which was the entire purpose. But, please tell me you remember now where you've heard the lyrics."

I panicked for a moment, but quickly recovered. I had remembered when he had said those exact words to me.

"You said them to me the night we made up, I think it was Saturday night, or maybe Friday. But you told me you thought we were Inseparable. …And then when you thought I was sleeping you sang a little bit of it to me. That's why I recognized it! You sneakily gave me a preview of it that night!" I accused him, though happily. I was glad this hadn't escalated into a huge fight. I think I would have been too exhausted to even think about fixing it had it become really big.

"Yeah, I did play it for you." He said, and I knew he was smiling.

"Well, I loved the song. It's my favorite one now."

"Thanks babe." I could practically see him blushing.

"Hey Naaaaateeee." I said, exaggerating on his name.

"Uh-oh. I don't like the sound of this. What do you want?" He was suddenly cautious, because I only drew out his name whenever I wanted something or pouted. And this time I wanted something.

"Could you pretty please sing 'Inseparable' to me before I go to bed?"

"Caity…" He didn't like singing in front of me very often, I think he felt self-conscious or something. Some found it weird (i.e. Shane), but I found it adorable.

"Pwetty pwease?" I begged, pouting.

"Alright, alright, fine. But only once." He gave in, and I knew that from here I had him locked. Now I could get him to sing whatever I asked him to. I grinned.

"Yay! Thank you boyfriend. You're amazing."

"Yeah, yeah."

That night I dreamt the most amazing dreams about Nate and I.

--

Good? Bad? Love? Hate? Hope the Inseparable reference in there wasn't too bad. R&R please! :D


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you to all those trusty readers out there who are commenting at like every new Chapter! I really appreciate it. :) It always gets me psyched when I have a bunch of reviews to write more. 'Cause then I know that people are actually reading my stuff and enjoying it. Soo, here's another Chapter!

This Chapter is dedicated to all the loyal readers and reviewers on fanfiction. :D

--

The next few months flew by, and before I knew it Christmas Break was right around the corner. Between my Internship, Nate, Mitchie, and School, I hadn't had much free time to myself, and I was finding that I was missing just being able to play my music just for fun. Most of all I missed Nate, though.

We were doing really well with the distance- don't get me wrong. We saw each other at least 2 or 3 times a week at the Recording Studio, and sometimes even more if Shane threw a fit about not seeing Mitchie (which happened almost every week. Haha). And especially after Nate had dedicated "Inseparable" to me, we were doing better than ever. I was feeling that I understood him a lot better now, and we had absolutely no secrets that were being hidden from each other. We were totally clean, and I felt like Nate was probably the only person asides from Mitchie who knew me better than myself.

Though being close and very understanding is always good in a relationship, I found myself also really scared about it. There were times when I got so carried away with Nate that had we not been interrupted, or had Nate not come to his senses and stop us, I was almost sure we would have gone all the way. And I knew that I was _not_ ready to deal with that kind of responsibility.

I was also noticing that the closer we became, the more physically attracted to each other we were. I wasn't sure how much longer we could manage to not do anything more. It was getting pretty difficult as it was already.

Anyways- enough about Nate. I would like to share with you how stupid I am now. See, here I was, relishing the day we would be free from school and get 2 weeks to relax over Christmas Break, when I hadn't even thought about 2 things.

One: I had no clue what to get for everyone. Nate was like, impossible to shop for because he always had everything. And Shane was too picky of a shopper that I couldn't get any clothes for him. Jason loved anything, and Mitchie had the idea to buy him a birdhouse, since he had been complaining about it so much. I figured that was a pretty good idea. For my parents and Mitchie's parents I was totally clueless. What do you buy your practically Step Parents for Christmas? Ugh.

Then there's the second thing I hadn't thought about: I thought I was going to be totally free to relax. Ha. Want to hear my flight schedule? Alright, here we go. The 19th of December was our last day of school, which was a Friday. On Sunday, Nate, Shane, and Jason were coming. On Monday, Shane was taking Mitchie to see his family, leaving Nate, Jason and I at home for a few days. On those few days, the arrival of Jason and Mitchie's families would start. Christmas Eve Mitchie and Shane would return, and would spend the rest of their time here. Then the day after Christmas, December 26th, Nate and I had a flight out to see his parents, since they were really big on family. And I would spend the rest of my time there with them, except for the last two days I would go and visit my Parents, bringing along Nate since my father absolutely adored him.

I know, my schedule is more than crazy and I'm sure that by the time school even started I will be 10 times more exhausted than before Christmas Break. At least I didn't have to go through different time zones or anything, that was a plus. And for two whole weeks I had Nate all to myself- something I was really looking forward to and craving.

Once that annoying bell finally rang on Friday, signaling that we were free, Mitchie and I decided to hit the mall. We needed to get started right away in case we needed Saturday also to look for some more stuff.

We agreed to shop for the Adults first, since they would most likely be the easiest to find things for. Then all day Saturday we would have time to find amazing things for our boyfriends.

As we looked around in a Chef store, trying to find something related to cooking for Connie, I took the liberty in poking around in Mitchie and Shane's relationship. They seemed to be doing much better, but I still wanted to make sure things were going smoothly with them.

"So how are you and Shane doing?' I asked, as I messed around with some weird mixer thing. I made a face before setting it down, and glancing at Mitchie, who seemed to have a daze in her eyes. I laughed. "I take it things are going well?"

She nodded, blushing a little. "Things are going more than well. We're amazing. I think it was just a little tough in the beginning for us, it was hard to adjust to the distance thing, but we've gotten the hang of it now."

"That's good. It's always a little hard in the beginning. I mean I think Nate and I had about 3 fights our first week. But really it only made us stronger." I said, smiling, "Ugh. Do you know what to get them? I'm so totally at like, a barricade on what to get Nate. And Shane too, for that matter."

Mitchie groaned. "Don't remind me. I never even know what to get Shane on our anniversaries, let alone for Christmas."

"Why don't you write him a song or something?" I offered.

"Eh. That's too cliché."

I laughed. "What? Writing a song is _so_ not cliché. That's like the cutest thing ever. Plus Shane loves your voice."

"Yeah, but I'm still not comfortable singing around him." She sighed, looking kind of sad.

"What do you mean you're not comfortable singing with him? On the Final Jam you guys were pouring your hearts out to each other!"

"Yeah but that was different."

I shook my head. "That was no different than if you were to sing to him now. And you guys sing to each other all the time whenever you're recording!"

She sighed. "I don't know. I'll think about it, but I probably won't do it. It just doesn't feel right."

I shrugged, "Okay." I wasn't going to push her to do something she didn't want to.

After about another 45 minutes of roaming the store, we finally settled on buying Connie a new blender, (that had some really cool buttons on it that can do funky things to food) and an awesome pair of cooking mittens, that were neon. I knew she was going to love it.

Steve was a little bit harder to shop for than Connie, but we agreed to each buy him a tie (not the normal boring ones, but actual cool ones) and a dress shirt in colors that even I hadn't seen before. Even though they were small things, we were sure both Connie and Steve would appreciate it.

By the time I had found something for my parents, and Mitchie had found something for Shane's parents, it was 8 o'clock and we were exhausted. We ate dinner at the food court in the mall, before coming home and hiding the shopping bags in the closet before either Adult could go prowling around the house sneaking looks into bags they weren't supposed to.

After a quick call to our boyfriends, and many long periods of time where it would consist of me begging Nate to tell me what he got me for Christmas, we hung up and crashed on our beds- even though it was only about 10:30.

Shopping for Jason proved to be easier than I though. We bought him a birdhouse, as well as some paint and paint brushed to go with it. We figured if it was too hard to make, at least he could still paint it. Then we got him a 15 gift card for him to Pet Co so he could buy bird food for it.

While Mitchie was off trying to find something for me, I assumed, I looked for something for her. It was pretty hard trying to figure out what she liked, but after buying her 3 new picks and strings for her guitar, and some blank sheets of music so she could write out her songs, I figured that was more than enough.

We met back after an hour; ignoring the bags we each had of the other person's gifts as if they weren't there. Now the two hardest people were left: Shane and Nate.

"I'm telling you- sing him a song. He'll absolutely love it."

Mitchie rolled her eyes. "No. I want to get him something that he can keep with him at all times. Something kinda like what Nate has."

She was referring to the necklace with half of my 'heart' that he had hanging around his neck. I glowed when I thought about it. Whenever they were doing an interview, or were on tv for something, he purposefully wore a low collared shirt so I could see the chain hanging from his neck. And even though he sometimes never said anything about me during an interview, I knew he was thinking about me. It was a really nice way of reassuring me that I was his.

Mitchie was waving her hand in front of me and I figured I must have blanked out.

"Ah- Sorry. Must have gotten taken to Nate land." I said honestly, giggling. I could tell Mitchie wanted to stay annoyed but she giggled anyways.

"What if you get him a ring or something?" I had thought about getting Nate one, too.

"He already has his purity ring though."

"So? That doesn't mean he can't wear another one."

"Yeah but that's not original enough."

I rolled my eyes. Mitchie always had to be a perfectionist when it came to Shane. Whenever they were together the moment always had to be perfect otherwise she would get angry with herself for screwing it up. Hey, don't ask me what that means, I don't even understand in myself and I live with her.

"Ooh!" I said, getting an idea. "What if you get him a ring, but put it on a chain! So it's a necklace, like what you wanted in the first place! And it's totally different from Nate's, so you're not copying either!"

Mitchie's whole face lit up. "You're a genius!"

I smirked. "Most people just call me Caitlyn." I joked, as she swatted me on the arm.

So we spent the next hour trying to find a ring for Shane-, which proved to be harder than we thought. A lot of the rings had super cheesy stuff written on them, like "Love is a river on which we float." And "God couldn't be with us all the time so he created such a thing called boyfriends." No, I'm not lying, there was actually a ring that said that.

But Mitchie finally found the perfect gift. There was a little shop off a little ways from the actual ring collection, and it allowed you to put your birthstone in the ring. She put her birthstone in it, and Shane's, which happened to be a green and a bluish stone, (which made the ring look gorgeous), and found a silver chain on which the gold/yellow ring could be put on. I loved it, and Mitchie looked extremely satisfied.

One boy down, one to go.

"I have no idea what to get him." I whined, after we had gone through the mall at least another 4 times. Mitchie rolled her eyes.

"He's not that picky. You he'll love anything you get him."

"Yeah but I want this one to be special." I pouted, tempted to just give up and not get him anything at all.

"Why don't _you_ write him a song?"

I scoffed, "You're funny."

"What? You can sing?" Mitchie said, even though we both knew I couldn't. Well, not very well at least. I gave her a look. "Okay fine singing's out. You can't get him a ring because he wears a purity ring, and he already has a necklace…hmmm."

"I have an idea." I said suddenly, looking over at her with a grin. "Well, I have many ideas. But they're all good."

"Hit me with 'em." Mitchie said, looking excited.

"Okay, so the first idea that came to mind was that I make him a scrapbook. You know, with pictures from Camp Rock, pictures from our anniversaries, Recording, I saw on the internet some creep had gotten a picture of Nate and I kissing in the rain that one day after our huge fight." I laughed. "Creepy, but still super cute." Mitchie laughed and nodded. "Then I got the idea that hopefully, on Christmas Eve, we would be in the same room together…at night I could wear something that only he would see on me."

Mitchie raised her eyebrows. "You mean like…you want to…do it?"

My eyes widened. "No! No no no!" I said quickly, "I mean like, maybe wearing some shorts on them that say 'Nate' on the butt, or-" I could see Mitchie trying not to laugh, and I glared.

"Cait, no offense, but that's a little weird…and I think he might be creeped out a tad."

I sighed, but knew she was right. When I had begun saying what I was thinking it sounded 10 times stupider.

"Okay so forget the pajama idea. That was just stupid. What about a build-a-bear?!" I said, suddenly excited. Mitchie looked at me, again with that look. I pouted, almost wanting to cry. "Ugh. It's not my fault these are all lame but I'm really desperate here."

And here comes a moment where I absolutely love my best friend.

"Caity, why don't you make him the scrapbook, and write him a letter to go with it. Something cute and long so that when he reads it he laughs and cries at the same time. Then maybe at night, since you like cute fluffy stuff and I think he does too, cuddle up to him and give him some reasons as why you love him. He's a guy; just having you for Christmas is more than enough for him. And it's only Christmas, it's not meant to be stressful. Leave the stressing for your one year anniversary."

She was right. I was over analyzing this way too much. I gave her a grateful smile along with a hug.

"Thanks, Mitch. I don't know what I'd do without you."

She smiled at me, and then we quickly bought all the things I needed for the scrapbook and headed home, since we had everything.

Once home, I sat on my bed with the book and many different colored papers with all of my pictures spread out on the bed. Nate and I actually had a lot of pictures together. And there were some of us that were surprisingly in magazines, so I tore some from there. I worked on it all day while Mitchie sat on her bed texting Shane and wrapping up her Christmas gifts. I even think she wrapped mine because I was so engrossed with making the gift perfect that I didn't notice.

After working on it all day, I had finally decided that it looked good and I knew it was perfect and there was nothing I could do to make it any better. I handed it to Mitchie, who 'aw'ed and laughed at all the right pictures. Even she thought my book was perfect.

I had waited till Mitch had fallen asleep before beginning to work on my letter. I knew it was going to come out super emotional than intended, but I wanted it to be that way. Here, I'll show you what I wrote.

** Nate aka my snuffleupagus,**

** So, it took me a while to figure out what I was going to give you for Christmas, and I'll admit that I was stressing out a lot about it. I wanted it to be perfect since it was our first X-mas together, and if for some reason it wasn't what you had expected or wanted, I'm so sorry. :( I also want to apologize for anything that I've ever done to make you mad or upset in the past 4 months. You've put up with so much especially with me and you're all that I could ever ask for and more. You make me laugh when I don't even feel like smiling, and you give me this feeling in my heart and body that I can't explain. It's like whenever I'm with you, I know things can't get any better. But then you do something, like show up at my school with roses, just because, and again I'm amazed with you. I'm so lucky that I have someone like you in my life. Before you I thought that I had no purpose, and then you showed up and everything changed. I was happy, and it was all because of you.**

** I know that the distance has been hard on both of us, but thank you for being so understanding. You were always supportive, and you've always believed in me in everything I've ever done. You never have doubts in me and you make me feel like I'm on cloud 9 all the time. :) I love you so much Nate. You mean the world to me.**

** On a lighter note, I'll have you know that I totally creamed your butt that one time on Guitar Hero. You know which time I'm talking about; the one where you said you had something in your eye, which is why you lost so badly. :P I don't believe that for a second. Ah, we have so many inside jokes that only we understand I don't even know where to start. Butterfinger, 'your pants are on fire', goober, my snuffleupagus ;), peaches, pookie bear, kissing in the rain... there are some words that if you just said them I would burst out laughing, and no one would have a clue as to what we were talking about. I love that about us. I love that I can be myself around you and you don't even care. I love that you don't judge me, and that you laugh with me whenever I do something stupid. You bring out the best in me.**

**Hands down I can say that you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world whenever you tell me you love me, and I wouldn't give you up for anything. Even if someone offered me a million dollars. ;) You're everything that I'm not- brave, smart, sensitive, adorable, musically capable (haha), and just all around amazing. You're a treasure that I hope to keep around for a very, very long time.**

** Hmm. Enough with the cheesiness! I should go 'cuz it's about 3 in the morning. :) You're everything I've ever wanted and more, Nate Presley. You amaze me every single day.**

** Love,**

** Your Pookie Bear.**

Well? Was it bad? I'm not going to let anyone see it but Nate… I don't think that has quite everything that I wanted to say, but I'm happy with it. And hopefully he will be too.

When the boys arrived, I never left Nate's side. Shane immediately snatched the chance to tease me, but I just ignored him, especially after Mitchie pointed out that they were pretty much attached to the hip, too. Ha, beat that, meanie. After a nice family dinner, and introductions of Nate to Steve, we decided a movie would be some good group bonding before Mitchie and Shane left to see his parents.

"John Tucker must die!" I said for about the millionth time that night. We had been sitting around arguing about what movie to watch for the past 20 minutes.

Nate and I had grabbed the huge reclining chair. He had his feet up on the footrest thing, and I was half on him, curled up into his side with a blanket wrapped around us. I didn't bother to lift my head up from his chest as we all kept arguing. I was too comfortable to move, really, he had a protective arm around me as well.

Shane and Mitchie and grabbed the couch, and they, too, were in a similar position to Nate and I, except Mitchie was laying down with her head in Shane's lap, while Jason sat at Shane's feet.

"But that's a chick flick." Nate groaned, complaining.

"Babe, like every movie in this house is a chick flick." Mitchie said, laughing. Shane and Nate glared at her while I joined Mitchie in laughter.

"What about The Hitcher?" Shane asked, a devious smile forming on his face. I jumped up excitedly, nearly head-butting Nate in the process.

"Ohmygosh! I love that movie!" I said, grinning. "It's like the best horror movie ever!"

"Except for Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Mitchie pointed out, and I nodded.

"What?" Asked Shane, disgusted. "Texas Chainsaw Massacre was stupid. It wasn't even realistic."

"Oh and what, The Grudge was?" I asked, rolling my eyes as I settled back into Nate.

"No, The Grudge was sophisticated. Texas Chainsaw Massacre was just going too far." Shane said matter-of-factly, as Mitchie and I shared a look.

"Just put in The Hitcher." Jason piped up, deciding for us. Once we all agreed, the movie began and both couples snuggled closer together.

"You scared?" I heard Nate whisper in my ear, as the part where the car wouldn't start on the highway began.

I shook my head. "No." I whispered back softly, "I've seen this movie way too many times for me to get scared."

Aha. I shouldn't have been so confident. Bear in mind, that we started this movie at about midnight. So now it was creepy and dark, and the only noise that could be heard was the screaming and crying of the characters in the movie. Yeah, spooky, right?

About half way through the movie I was clutching onto Nate, my whole body curled up into a tiny ball. My face was hidden behind the blanket except for my eyes. Nate smirked.

"I thought you said you wouldn't get scared." He whispered, chuckling a little.

I looked up and glared at him, "I'm not scared." I said, though I clearly was.

He gave me an amused smile before leaning down and kissing me gently. Next thing I knew I felt a pillow being thrown at my face. We pulled apart, looking around for the culprit.

"No make-out sessions during the movie."

I heard Shane say. I rolled my eyes, while Nate muttered something I couldn't hear. I gave him an appreciative smile and a kiss on his throat, before nestling back into him.

It was somewhere between the main character's boyfriend dying, and her being examined by the cops when I had zoned out and fell asleep. Because the next time I woke up, Nate was shaking me gently, whispering into my ear for me to get up. I groggily opened my eyes, and looked around and saw no one was here. The tv had been turned off, and the house was utterly silent.

"Where is everyone?" I asked, still out of it.

"They all went to sleep." He whispered, slowly getting out of the chair but keeping his arms wrapped around me. "Come on let's go to bed, Connie said we could take the guest bedroom."

I nodded, not really comprehending as Nate helped me up and followed me upstairs, his arms wrapped around me for support. When we reached the bed I groaned, climbing onto it and curling up, still too tired to talk. I heard Nate chuckling. I wasn't really one to be woken up in the middle of the night and expected to function.

"Don't you want to change?" He asked, still talking softly as he took off his shirt and pulled on some sweatpants.

I mumbled something inaudible, shaking my head.

"At least put on some sweats, you look uncomfortable in jeans." He said, handing them to me. I groaned, protesting, but got up anyway. I felt around for the sweats, and before I knew it, I had pulled down my jeans and pulled on my sweats, before getting cozy under the blankets. I was too tired to notice that Nate was staring at me with his mouth open. He had never seen me with nothing on except for underwear. I started having a mini pack attack, like maybe I did something wrong. But then I felt two strong arms wrap around me and pull towards him, and I relaxed.

"Don't worry about it." He whispered, kissing my neck. "You're beautiful."

I did notice though, that he wasn't wearing a shirt, so I turned in his arms, allowing my hands to run over his bare chest, before wrapping one of my legs around his hips. He seemed to squirm a bit, but relatively seemed calm, so I proceeded to place small kisses along his collarbone as he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close.

"Catlyn…stop…" He groaned, closing his eyes. I noticed his breathing was getting heavy. I stopped, somehow fully awake, and looked up at him questioningly. "You can't do that and expect me to have self control." He said softly, his eyes still closed. I blushed; feeling embarrassed, and went to move my leg from across his hips. His hand stopped me though and he rested it on my thigh, keeping it in place. "I didn't say to move, I said to stop."

He opened his eyes and smiled at me, and I looked away, still feeling embarrassed.

"I'm sorry." I murmured, looking away from his eyes.

He placed his hand on my chin, pushing my head up gently so my gaze would meet his.

"You never have to apologize for kissing me." He said, smiling, "I just don't want to do something I know we're not ready for."

"I know." I said, nodding, "And you're right. It won't happen again, I promise. I just got a little carried away."

"I guess I'm too irresistible." He joked, and I pushed him a little, rolling my eyes.

"You've been hanging out with Shane too much." I said, sleepily resting my head on his chest. He kissed my hair, pulling me towards him even more so our bodies were practically molded into one another's.

"I love you." He said, allowing his hand to snake its way under my shirt and resting it on my stomach. I felt my skin tingle from where his hand had touched. I felt my breathing get deeper and I tried to calm myself, not wanting him to think that I couldn't handle him touching me.

"Hmmm. I love you, too."

We fell asleep entangled with each other, totally at ease and completely relaxed.

--

I hope this wasn't too filler-y. I put lots of fluff in there so I hope you enjoyed it. Oh, and to those of you who don't know what a 'snuffleupagus' is, it's a big mammoth thing on Sesame Street, and Big Bird is the only one who sees him. And so, after people at school began to not believe Caitlyn when she said she was dating Nate, he turned into her snuffleupagus-, which means she's the only one that sees him. Ha, sorry if that's confusing! R&R!


	8. Chapter 8

I think I'm getting writer's block for this story. :( Ehhhh, I also have a wicked idea for another story, but I don't want to start it without finishing this one first.

So, for the very first time ever, I want you guys to give me ideassss. 'Cause I'm running out of them. And I spend like 4 hours on a Chapter just thinking of some sort of plot. So if you have any ideas, please go ahead and suggest them. Because I am at a major crossroads here.

--

I woke up the next morning to Shane and Mitchie arguing over who was going to wake us up. I turned to look at the time; it was about 10 in the morning. As I moved I heard Nate groan and I smiled, cuddling up to him.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty." I teased, kissing his chin as his eyes fluttered open.

"What time is it?" He mumbled, glancing at me before closing his eyes again.

"It's about 10 or so." I said, rolling my eyes, as Shane's whispers got louder. "We're awake, you know." I said loudly, much to Nate's displeasure.

"Ugh, Cait, now they're going to come in here."

"Aw, poor baby." I cooed, giggling when he glared at me.

Shane and Mitchie took the liberty of entering into our room now. Mitchie was in a tank top and sweats, while Shane was in sweats and a wife beater.

"I told you they wouldn't be doing anything." Mitchie muttered to Shane, who rolled his eyes.

"Well you never know." He muttered back.

"We _can_ hear you, you know." Nate grumbled, his eyes still shut. I smiled as Shane and Mitchie climbed onto our bed. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who invited you guys in here?" He asked, now sitting up a little to glare at them.

I swatted Nate's arm. "Stop it. They're leaving in like, 2 hours. This is the last time we're gonna see them for 4 days." Honestly, I was kinda happy that they were leaving. Mitchie and I needed a break from each other, and I was excited for Mitchie's Dad to get to know Nate better. Steve liked him a lot, more than Shane actually, but I still wanted to do a little more bonding. I now felt that they were my parents, too. And I really noticed it when I had stopped calling Connie by her first name, and instead opted to calling her Mom, too. I actually felt at Home here. And even though I called my regular parents all the time, I still felt like this was where I was meant to be. And I think they knew it, too.

"Alright, alright." He said, rubbing his eyes before sitting up and pulling me towards him. We scooted over so Mitchie could slip in next to me, while Shane lay on the other side of her, basically creating one huge sandwich with the boys on the ends.

"So what time's your flight?" I asked, as Nate began playing with my hair- a favorite pastime of his.

"2:30." Shane said as he wrapped an arm around Mitchie.

"You nervous?" I asked looking at her. Shane answered for her.

"She shouldn't be. My Parents love her. I actually think they love her more then they love me." He feigned sadness as I laughed and Mitchie rolled her eyes.

"Be careful of the paparazzi, man." Nate warned, now seeming serious, "If they know you two are home, they're gonna want pictures of you two on Christmas."

Shane nodded, "I know. I'm thinking I might take her to the mall or something, or set up an interview after Christmas with Hot Tunes so they won't be stalking us the whole time we're there."

Nate nodded, as Mitchie and I shared a look. We hated it when they got into their business mode, or when Nate talked about good PR and worried about the rep for their band. It was necessary that they thought about it, yes. But sometimes I thought that Nate looked at stuff in a way that could only be beneficial to Connect 3. And that sometimes really got to me. Mitchie understood because Shane did that a lot of the time without really meaning to.

"How long is your flight?" I asked, hoping to change the subject.

"'Bout 2 hours." Mitchie said, smiling at me. She looked like she needed to talk to me about something. Nate and Shane were busy still talking about PR and stuff, so I leaned into Mitchie, grinning.

"Wanna push them off?" I whispered, making sure they couldn't hear us. She grinned back, nodding.

"Absolutely."

We both nuzzled back into our boyfriends, who happily wrapped their arms around us, completely clueless. We then both looked at each other, and began mouthing the seconds down.

"3…2…1!" We shouted, before elbowing our significant other off the beds, they both made a 'what the-' face, before falling to the ground with a loud thud. Mitchie and I high-fived each other, laughing hysterically before I felt a hand wrap around my wrist.

"Oh, no you don't." I heard Nate growl, before yanking me off the bed. I screamed, still laughing as I landed on top of him, rolling a few times. Nate took my weakness as an opportunity to begin tickling me. I am the most ticklish person on the planet- let me tell you.

I began gasping for air as I tried to roll into a ball to protect myself from Nate's hands. He was stronger than me though, and in one quick swoop had my arms pinned above my head as he tickled my stomach with his free hand.

"No! Nate- s-stop! Please!" I begged through laughter, gasping, when he wouldn't stop. I heard screaming from the other side of the bed and figured Shane was doing something similar to Mitchie.

Nate was straddling me almost, except he made sure most of his weight was in his legs instead of on my thighs, and he was hovering over me. He stopped tickling me for a second and leaned down to my ear, whispering,

"That's such a turn on."

I blushed and rolled my eyes, though I noticed that he had never said anything like that to me before. Even though my breathing was irregular and I was still trying to calm down, when I looked in his eyes I could see that beneath the amusement there was lust burning for me. Something that I had only seen one other time when I had changed in front of him.

I tried to push him off, struggling. He looked at me with a smirk on his face. He leaned towards me as his lips connected with my neck. I could feel him sucking my pulse-point and shut my eyes, about to moan when I heard someone clear their throat.

Nate flew off of me, standing up and fixing his clothes as I leaned up from the floor, fixing my tank top and blushing a deep red when I saw it was Mitchie's Dad.

All four of us began talking at once.

"Sir, it's not what it looks like-"

"We were just-"

"He was tickling me, nothing else-"

"I swear we weren't doing anything-"

"It was totally G-rated-"

Even though we were all freaking out, I could see that Steve had an amused look on his face. I glanced over at Mitchie who showed me a silent freak out, before we all stopped talking, waiting for him to get mad.

"I can see that." Was all he said, grinning. "Mitch, Shane, get your suitcases it's time to go." Mitchie and Shane silently left the room, though I heard them whispering accusations at each other before going into Mitchie's room and getting their stuff. Steve turned to us, a stern look on his face though he was still smiling.

"I hope I can still trust you with my daughter, Nate." He said, winking at me. My heart swelled- he had never called me his daughter before.

Nate began stuttering. "You can, Sir. Sir we weren't doing anything. I mean I was just tickling her, it wasn't going anywhere, Sir, I promise."

Steve nodded, "I understand. I just want you to know that little kids are gonna be coming soon, and if they would have walked in on what I did, I think they would have been scarred for life. Also," He said, lowering his voice, "If you're gonna show Caity some affection, at least do it where I can't see it." He raised his eyebrows before leaving the room and shutting the door.

My hands shot up to my neck. "What did he mean _'affection_'?" I asked, as Nate blushed looking away. "Nate, if there's a spot there, I swear to God…" I said, running to the bathroom and examining my neck. My jaw dropped. It look like I had a huge bruise and it was turning darker by the second. "Nate William Presley." I said, gritting my teeth. He knew he was in trouble whenever I used his full name.

"What?" He asked, pretending innocence as I swung around to look at him, glaring. I pointed to my neck.

"Look what you did!" I hissed, showing him the mark. He smirked proudly. "It's nothing to be proud of, Nate!" I said, almost yelling at him. He had never given me a hickey before, and now that I had one I had no idea how to cover it up.

"Aw, come on, baby. It's not that bad." He said, touching it gently with his fingertips. I slapped his hand away, glaring at him.

"Not that bad? Nate, how am I supposed to cover this up?" I walked back to the mirror, examining it while he stood behind me, also looking at it.

"It's winter, just wear a bunch of sweaters and keep your hair down. I'm sure you could put some of your cover up stuff on it, too. You're freaking out over nothing, babe. No one will notice." He shrugged, but I could tell that he also didn't want anyone calling him out on it.

"You don't know Mitchie's family- they observe everything. Ugh." I groaned, putting my face in my hands. I felt Nate wrap his arms around me from behind.

"I'm sorry." He said softly, resting his head on my shoulder. "Next time I'll make sure no one will see it."

This made me angrier. "There won't be a next time." I said, pushing him off me. Nate just stared at me.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm not allowing your lips anywhere near my body except for my mouth."

He rolled his eyes. "You can't just tell me where my lips can and can't go." He said, though there was a hesitation in his voice that made it sound like he knew that I could control where they do and don't go.

"Bet me." I said lethally, before pulling out the cover up and furiously began applying it over the spot that was now turning red along with a dark blue and purple.

Nate sighed, setting his hands on my shoulders and turning me to look at him.

"I'm sorry about the hickey." He said sincerely, waiting till I made eye contact with him. "I didn't mean to make it that dark. But, baby, you can't ban me from your body," He said chuckling, though there was desperation written all over his face.

"I know," I said, sighing, "But next time, please don't put it in a place where I have to hide it."

Nate smirked, but nodded. "I won't." He promised, before kissing my forehead. "Now get dressed so we can see Shane and Mitchie off."

I nodded, giving him a smile, before quickly changing into jeans and a sweater, letting my hair down and putting on as much cover up as I could. I was still mad that I now had to stress out about it for the whole winter break, but I liked it at the same time. It was a show of affection. And I loved that it was there, it was kind of like his mark on me.

Once dressed, I headed to the front door where we saw Shane giving his goodbyes to Mitchie's parents. Mitch pulled me aside, whispering quickly.

"Caitlyn, I don't know what to do." I could see worry written all over her face.

"What do you mean?" I asked, also whispering.

"I mean that we're going to be alone with his parents…and we'll have our own room since I'm guessing his house is huge. What if he wants to…you know…?"

"Do it?" I asked. She nodded her head violently.

"I mean I don't think he will but what if he does want to? How do I say no?"

"Haven't you guys talking about this before?" I asked, glancing at Shane who seemed excited to visit his parents.

"No! What, have you talked about it with Nate?" She asked me, and I nodded. "What did you say?!"

"We just both agreed that we weren't ready to handle that kind of responsibility. Listen, Mitch, I'm sure Shane's the same as Nate. I don't think he's ready to have sex either." I thought for a moment. "Wait, you guys are taking the Jet, right?" She nodded. "Okay, talk to him about it there since you guys will be alone. Let him know you aren't ready. He'll understand."

She gave me a hug, thanking me, and before she left, I whispered to her quickly.

"And remember, he doesn't wear that purity ring for nothing." She smiled at me, and I could tell she was relieved. Nate, Steve, Connie and I all waved, and once they were out of sight, Steve turned to us, clapping Nate on the shoulder.

"So what are we all going to do for bonding?" He asked, grinning at us. Nate seemed scared, and I laughed.

"Wait, where's Jason?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. I hadn't seen him since the other night when we were all watching the movie.

"He decided that since no one was really going to be here, he went to visit his parents till Christmas Eve. He'll fly back with them." Nate told me.

"Oh." I said, feeling a little guilty. Jason was always the third wheel with us, but we always tried to include him in everything we did as much as possible. The guy was an airhead, and he seemed to enjoy being with us, but even though he was a little 'out there' didn't mean he didn't have feelings.

Nate knew what I was thinking and securely grasped my hand, squeezing it gently before giving me a reassuring smile. I smiled back.

"We could go bowling!" Momma Connie said, looking excited. We all made a face, trying not to laugh. Bowling had really downgraded since I was little. Oh, and that brings me to something I haven't told you guys yet. The guys now call Connie MC (short for Momma Connie). I think it's the cutest thing in the world. And every time one of us calls her that I see her face light up.

After throwing a few more suggestions around, we decided that bowling would be the best idea. Nate creamed me every game. He was probably the most competitive out of all of us but Steve gave him a run for his money, only losing by about 3 points.

The whole drive home I was pouting about losing, and Nate thought it was adorable. Which only made me pout more, because I didn't want him to think it was adorable. Hey don't laugh at me; I'm a teenager in love- I'm allowed to act like a child.

Once home, Steve took Nate out to the backyard to play a game of baseball or something, leaving Momma Connie and I alone. She gave me a wide smile before walking into the kitchen and taking out a cake batter.

"So," She began in that motherly tone of hers, "How are things going with you two?"

I blushed, but smiled all the same. "Things are amazing. He's great to me, MC, I couldn't be happier."

She smiled, motioning for me to get some of the banking things out and grabbing some eggs so we could begin cooking. I didn't really know why we were baking a cake, but I thought that maybe it would be so that Momma Connie could really talk to me about what was going on with Nate and I without actually sitting me down and asking. Even though at times I felt like she really was my birth mother, we both knew that she wasn't. And she didn't really have the right to question what Nate and I were and weren't doing. But I let her do it anyways.

"And where are you guys…physically?" She asked, glancing over at what I thought was my neck. I self-consciously made sure my hair was covering it.

"No worries, MC. We're not even thinking about…that." I blushed a little, but she seemed satisfied with the answer.

While she began to make dinner, which was spaghetti, I helped with the cake. It proved to be more difficult than I thought, and the yummy taste of the batter always sidetracked me. By the time I had mixed in the eggs, oil, flour, and water, I had flour streaks all over my face, and despite the hickey I had on my neck, I figured everyone in the house knew about it so I put my hair up into a messy ponytail, before concentrating on splitting the batter in half.

I was so concentrated, in fact, that when I felt two arms wrap around me I jumped, before realizing it was Nate.

I smacked his arm lightly.

"Don't do that, you scared me." I said, trying to wiggle free of his grasp. He just held onto me tighter.

"Sorry." He said, leaning down to place a kiss on my neck. He looked back a little, noticing the hickey and smirking. "I thought you were ashamed of that?" He asked, lowering his voice so only I could hear him before bending down and kissing me in the exact place the mark was.

I bit my lip in an effort not to moan. Connie was watching us with a keen eye, and even though she was silent and smiling, I knew nothing inappropriate was to happen in front of her.

"Well, thanks to your _impeccable _placement of it, everyone in this house knows that I have one." I whispered back, my voice also very low and soft.

He smirked, "I think it's sexy." He said into my ear, before kissing the side of my head and walking off. I rolled my eyes, but was smiling all the same. I snapped out of it quickly though, and went back to cooking.

"So was that a typical 'Naitlyn' moment?" Momma Connie asked, grinning.

I groaned, "Ugh. MC, not you too!"

She laughed, causing me to laugh, and came over to me, giving me a hug and then helping with the cake- since I obviously needed it.

Dinner went by smoothly. I could tell that Nate was really growing on Steve, pretty much making the same impression on him that he had on my father. I don't what it was about older Dad's, but they really seemed to love Nate.

After cleaning up the dishes, we decided to play a couple games of Scrabble and Egyptian Rat Screw. That's a card game, by the way. Whenever we played a board game, it was Momma C and I verses Steve and Nate. And whenever we played a card game, it was just me verse Nate.

Nate beat me in like, every game we played. So I decided to be a spoiled sport and pretended to be sleepy. I was smart though, and had waited till it was midnight to play the 'I'm too tired to play anymore' card. Nate gave me a look, but followed me up to the bedroom all the same. And hey, I wasn't totally lying. My back was beginning to hurt and I was feeling really achy.

"Night MC! Night Dad!" I yelled from the top of the stairs, once everything had been cleaned up.

"Night kids!" They yelled back up at us before Nate shut the door.

"I think someone was being a spoiled sport…" Nate said, grinning at me. I glared at him.

"I was not. I'm really tired."

"Uh-huh." Nate said, raising his eyebrows. "Babe it's just a game-"

"Drop it, Nate." I snapped, before grabbing my pajamas and heading into the bathroom. I could tell he was confused by the look he gave me when I had shut the door.

While I was changing, everything began to make sense. Why I hated losing, why I was pissed for getting a hickey, why my entire body ached, and why I had just gotten mad at Nate for no reason. I had started my period.

Crap.

I sighed, taking care of everything that I needed to and hiding it all really well so Nate wouldn't see it in the morning and freak. He hated that kind of stuff. I put on my really big sweats, and my tank top. But once I had opened the door, I immediately went to the closet and grabbed a sweatshirt, pulling it over my tank top.

"Why aren't you wearing a tank top to bed?" Nate asked, looking at me weird.

"Because I don't want to." I snapped. I closed my eyes, sighing. I hated being a b-word to him. But it was how I got whenever I was on it. I guess Nate had never really experienced me in person when I was on it, so he didn't notice. But now he probably would.

I climbed into bed, turning my back towards him, and curled up into a ball, holding my stomach. Which felt like I was getting kicked in, by the way. Good old Nate though, he wouldn't give up even if I didn't want to talk to him. He sat next to me and began stroking my hair, to make sure it was okay. When I didn't snap at him, he figured it was safe to talk.

"What's wrong baby?" He asked me softly,

"Nothing." I said, fighting back tears. You may be wondering why I'm close to crying. It's because when I get cramps, I get them bad. I get terrible back pain, and shooting pain in my stomach. Sometimes it got so bad that I would throw up. Sounds like fun, right?

"It's not nothing, Caity. You're wearing a sweatshirt to bed, which you've never done before. You got really upset when I beat you in bowling, you got even more upset when I beat you in Scrabble and Egyptian Rat Screw, and you were on the verge of breaking up with me when I gave you a hickey. And now it looks like you're gonna be sick. What's going on, Pookie? Talk to me."

I buried my face in my pillow so he couldn't see it, since I had actually begun to cry now. I hated that he could make me feel better and so safe at the same time. He knew exactly how to comfort me and what to say. And I love him for it, I do. But right now I didn't want him to understand.

"If I tell you you're just going to be grossed out." I mumbled, my face still in the pillow. I was more crying about him not wanting to touch me than my pain right now.

"What? Caitlyn, that's absurd." He said, a little frustrated. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me up into a sitting position so he could hold me close to him. I buried my face in the side of his chest, still not wanting him to see me crying. "Please tell me what's going on? I hate not being able to fix you because I don't know what's wrong."

"I'm on my period." I finally blurted out, "And whenever I get on my period I get really self-conscious about my body which is why I'm wearing a sweatshirt and big sweats. Because my hips get bigger and I don't feel sexy. And I hated that you beat me in everything today because I feel like you're better than me at everything. And I look like I'm going to be sick because I am sick. I have terrible back pain and cramps. And now you're not going to what to touch me because you'll probably think that what I'm going through is gross. And I'm sorry it's not the cutest thing in the world but I can't control it. But if I could I wouldn't have it at all because it's so-"

"Caity." He soothed, squeezing me gently. "I don't think it's gross."

I looked up at him for the first time, and saw him smiling down at me as he wiped away my tear stained face.

"You don't?" I asked, a little surprised. He shook his head.

"Baby, you being on your...cycle is totally natural. I would be a little worried if you weren't on it." He chuckled, and I smiled too, my tears not flowing as fast now. "Now, can I tell you what I think about all this before you go off making more assumptions?" I nodded, blushing a little. "First off, I think you're sexy in anything. And no, I'm not just saying that. You could be in a bikini or in sweats and I would still be attracted to you all the same. You're beautiful to me, Caitlyn."

"So you won't think I'm like…fat or anything if I can't fit into my jeans?" I asked softly, not making eye contact with him.

"Fat? Baby, of course not. What your body is doing is healthy, and to me your size doesn't matter. I'm not only attracted to your body, I'm also attracted to your smile, your personality, the way your eyes lit up when I tell you I love you…your weight has nothing to do with any of that. I promise."

I nodded, smiling and snuggling closer to him. He rested his head on top of mine as he continued.

"And as for the winning thing, you know that I'm competitive in nature. I can't help it…and I think it's adorable when you pout or get mad at me for winning, which is also a motive for me to win. But you're better at me than several things. For instance cooking, mixing tracks, guitar hero, almost any video game out there, and I think you're one of the most generous people I know. Just because I like beating you in some small things doesn't mean I'm better than you at _everything. _Everyone has their weaknesses, and you know better than anyone else that I have tons of them."

I just nodded again, knowing he was right. It wasn't that I had a problem with losing; I mean if I won something I wanted it to be fair and square. I think it was just because of my hormones and stuff that caused me to freak out.

"Now about your cramps and everything- I'm gonna do my best to make sure you're in the least amount of pain. I'll bring you chocolate, and ice cream; you can even stay in bed all day and I won't complain once if it'll make you feel better. I'll even sing to you whenever you ask."

I smiled, wrapping a leg around him before looking up at him. I wasn't crying anymore.

"Why do you do all this for me?" I whispered, staring into his eyes.

"Because I love you." He said simply, before leaning down and kissing me gently. After we pulled apart, I took off my sweatshirt, feeling a little self-conscious at first, but once he wrapped his arms around me and told me I looked beautiful, I was completely comfortable.

"I love you too, Nate. And thank you for putting up with me."

He smiled and kissed that same pulse-point on my neck, pulling me closer to him.

"Anything for my girl." He whispered, before both of us fell into a bother less sleep.

--

Yay! An even longer Chapter! :D R&R.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey guys! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! So, thanks to Athena's-Daughter (sorry if that's spelled wrong) I got total inspiration as to what drama is about to unfold.

I'll just say it now- there is going to be a death in this Chapter. DON'T FREAK OUT. It's not a main character, but it definitely is going to put Caitlyn into depression. Who will it be? And will Nate be able to save her?

Read and find out….

--

Nate stayed true to his words. As family began arriving, I mainly hid in our room, sleeping or eating anything Nate gave me. Whatever I asked for, he gave to me. He was so understanding and caring, that one night I actually cried about it. Hey- blame the hormones.

It was Christmas Eve now, and everyone was back from out of town. My cramps and back pain had subsided, I was in a much better mood, and Mitchie and Shane had arrived, as well as Jason and his family. It was a complete full house, and it was filled with love, laughter, and family togetherness. After trying to talk in the living room to catch up on what had happened to everyone in the past 4 days and getting numerous interruptions by multiple babies, parents, and siblings- we finally got up and left, moving to Mitchie's room which was off limits to all the guests because of all the musical equipment we had in there. If any kid were to mess around with it, they probably would break it, which would cost about 600 worth of damage. A lot of money no parent would want to pay.

We all sat on the floor in a circle, sitting crisscross. I was next to Nate, Jason was to the right of Nate, to the left of me was Mitchie, and across from me was Shane. Nate immediately grabbed Mitchie's guitar, playing some soft chords while we once again tried to catch each other up on everything.

"First. I wanna know what Jason did." I said, smiling at him. I still felt guilty that he felt like he had to leave when it was just Nate and I in the house.

"I hung out with my parents and got to go shopping for Christmas gifts." He said, grinning. "I got you guys something really special."

We laughed, shaking out heads. That Jason.

"Well I'm glad you had fun." I said, grinning at him.

"Lucky you. I had to deal with Mitchie." Shane mumbled, earning a whack from Mitchie.

"What happened?" I asked, trying not to laugh as Shane rubbed his arm where Mitchie had hit him.

"I started my period." She said, rolling her eyes. I saw Nate's head shoot up.

"What's that?" Jason asked. We all looked at him for a second.

"Dude no way! Cait started too while you guys were gone!" Nate just decided it would be easiest to ignore Jase. Poor guy.

I laughed, "Yeah that's what happens when two girls live together; their bodies become in sync with one another."

"That's odd." Nate said, contemplating the information I had given him. "So how bad was she, man?" He asked, looking at Shane. I saw Mitchie send him a look.

"Oh, she wasn't that bad. Just a little moody, but nothing a little ice cream and sleep couldn't fix. How was Caitlyn?"

"She wasn't too bad either. As long as I did what she asked me to she was fine. She had a lot of back pain though."

"Wow I feel like we're dogs." I mumbled to Mitchie, who nodded, "Are you guys done yet?" I asked loudly, making the boys stop talking. Nate sent a smile my way and I stuck my tongue out at him. Immature, I know.

"Anyways, Shane's parents are amazing. I felt totally at home there." Mitchie pressed on, ignoring Shane who looked like he wanted attention.

"Aw, really? That's great." I said sincerely, smiling at her.

We all sat in a comfortable silence, when suddenly _Inseparable _started blasting from someone's cell phone. We all knew it was mine.

I groaned, standing up and seeing it on my bed. I jumped onto the bed, glancing at the time as I did so. Who would call me at 1 in the morning? Without looking at the Caller ID I flipped it open, asking warmly,

"Hello?" I could hear faint sobs in the background, and I immediately stiffened, "Dad?" I asked softly, becoming very worried. I could see Nate begin to stand up but I wasn't paying attention.

"Caitlyn." My dad said, in a voice barely above a whisper, "This morning…your Grandfather passed away."

I stood there in shock, holding the phone to my ear. I could feel everyone's eyes in the room on me, but I didn't care. I wasn't paying attention at all.

"H-how?" I asked, as I could feel my eyes beginning to burn. Everyone in the room was standing up now.

"He had a heart attack. But I don't want to tell you all the details over the phone. We'll talk when you and Nate come back which-"

Everything after that I either didn't hear, or didn't care, because I had fallen to the floor in sobs so hard I didn't know how I was breathing. Every memory of my Grandfather flooded to my mind as I held my knees tightly to my chest, each second feeling like a sharp pain to my abdomen as subconsciously my mind kept reminding my body to breathe.

_Flashback._

_"Grandpa! Can you take me down the stairs on your back please? Just one more time?"_

_"I would love to, Cait-Bait, but I'm afraid I'm too tired now. How bout I take you after I take a little nap?" _

_"Okay pops! I love you!"_

_"I love you too kiddo."_

_End Flashback._

He was sick, and I had known it. But I never even thought about him once when I had left to come to Mitchie's. I hadn't called him, or checked up on him. I just assumed he would be at Christmas like he was every year. The tears fell down harder.

_Flashback._

_"Dad, how come Grandpa doesn't come around that much anymore? He used to come every weekend."_

_"I'm afraid you're Grandpa isn't doing very well, Caitlyn…it's been a rough couple months, but he'll pull out of it. Don't worry."_

_(A few weeks later)_

_"What I'm going through, all this pain and blood loss, it's not worth it. I wish I could die right now."_

_I had heard him say that to my Dad, I don't think I was supposed to have though._

_End Flashback._

I don't remember when Nate's arms had wrapped around me, or when the Adults had been informed, I didn't even know if it was Nate who kept saying stuff to me. I wasn't listening. My head was pounding from lack of oxygen and my eyes were so blurry I couldn't see.

I hadn't cared. I hadn't spent enough time with him. And now he was gone.

I don't know how I got the strength, but I did and broke free of Nate's grasp, running through everyone who was crowded into the room. I heard numerous people yelling out my name but I didn't listen. I needed to run, I needed to get away. I needed air.

I burst out the front door and ran as hard and as fast as I could down the road. I couldn't see, and I didn't know where I was going but I needed to get out. I heard someone shouting my name, but that only opted me to run faster. Whoever was after me was quicker though.

I felt two strong arms wrap around my waist and pull me towards them, and though I was struggling against them, they just pulled me closer and tighter. I gave up and collapsed onto the ground, the cool air making my throat dry as I cried for the man who had probably loved me more than anyone else in the entire world. I cried for being stupid, I cried for not caring. I don't know how long I sat there sobbing and screaming for my grandpa.

The person who had followed me outside was still holding me, and I wanted them to let me go. I wanted to get away from everyone and just hide. The person was talking to me softly, but I still wasn't listening. I didn't want to.

"Let go!" I said, tearing my arms away from the person who was holding me. "LET ME GO!" I yelled at the person, still not able to see clearly, as my breaths came in staggered and sharp. They wouldn't let me go though, and instead pulled me towards them, wrapping their entire self around me.

I think it was Nate, because I finally listened.

"Baby, shh, calm down."

This made me cry harder as I hung onto him, sobbing onto his neck as he stood there, holding me. I think I passed out, because everything went black shortly after, and I could hear Nate yelling my name…

_"You don't need to be scared, Cait-Bait. I knew you were always thinking about me."_

_"But I never called, or emailed you to tell you I loved you."_

_"You didn't need to tell me, I knew you did."_

_"How?"_

_"Because you love Nate."_

_"But he took me away from you."_

_"No, honey. He gave you life and showed you how to live it. He gave you love and showed you how to use it. He's taught you everything I couldn't."_

_"I wasn't there for you."_

_"It wasn't your job to watch over me."_

_"But I needed to."_

_"No, Caity, you…"_

I drifted back into reality, my eyes fluttering open. I was lying down in a bed, and I could see Nate at my side, looking like he hadn't slept in days. I noticed that I woke up crying and that I was still crying now.

Would the pain ever end? Why did it have to be this way? I think someone said something to me but I wasn't listening again. I didn't want to be comforted; I didn't want to be understood. I was having the urge to run again. When I went to move, I felt that my legs were way too sore. I remembered that I fallen onto a gravel road, and had probably scraped up my knees. I had also collapsed numerous times onto surfaces that weren't soft at all.

I curled up into a ball, deciding not to hold back. I began sobbing again; feeling like the whole world was crushing down on me. My Grandfather had meant everything to me, and I had meant everything to him. And yet I hadn't bothered to check up on him. I didn't get to spend time with him. All my questions about him were unanswered; all my moments with him had vanished.

I think that was why I was crying so hard. Because I knew that I couldn't get back the time that I had wasted. And when he had died, I had felt a part of me die with him. He had suffered so much, and had been through so much, and I couldn't have even left my stupid, busy world to spend a little time with him.

I needed to run again. I threw the covers up off of me, barely making it to the door before I again felt Nate's arms around my waist, holding me firmly. I don't think I was crying anymore, because when I spoke my voice came out clear and strong.

"Let go of me!" I screamed, shoving Nate's chest away from me. He wouldn't let go. "Let. GO!" I screamed again, but he wouldn't. I think he was shaking me now, because he was looking me dead in the eyes.

"Caitlyn!" He said loudly, pulling me to my senses. I simply looked up at him, feeling the need to cry again. His eyes immediately softened when he saw the look on my face and he pulled me towards him, laying my head on his chest.

"My poor baby," He said softly, stroking my hair as I wept onto him for the second time.

"He's gone." I choked out, "It's all m-my f-fault- h-he-"

"Sshhh." Nate soothed, pulling me back onto the bed. He held me close to him, as I cried myself to sleep.

I didn't know what day it was. I could have cared less that it was Christmas. I did know though, that when I woke up, Nate was still watching over me, my Guardian Angel. I smiled for the first time in what felt like days.

"You should get some sleep." I said, fighting the roll of emotions that wanted to take me over again.

He shook his head, "I'm fine." I knew he was lying because it looked like he could have passed out from sleep deprivation.

"Come sleep with me, I promise I won't run."

He looked at me carefully, before standing up. "Fine, but I'm bringing in Mitchie to watch over you incase you decide to bolt while I'm sleeping." I nodded, a little peeved by that. I wasn't suicidal.

I was now in the mode of silent tears. They kept falling but my breathing was the same. Nate was asleep within seconds, and I could tell Mitchie hadn't gotten any more sleep than he had, either. I began to feel bad.

"I'm sorry." I said softly. And she looked up surprised when I had spoken.

"You didn't do anything wrong." She said simply, giving me a faint smile.

"Wh-what happened?" I asked, still unaware of the whole story. "All I remember is sobbing and running."

She took in a deep breath, "Well, once you collapsed on the floor we were all really confused. Nate was smart enough to pick up the phone and talk to your Father, and got the whole back-story on what happened while I tried to calm you down. Then Nate took over, saying you needed him, and held you, trying to sooth you. It was like you were in a whole 'nother world, Caitlyn. You weren't even responding to any of us. Then you randomly got up and ran, bolting out the door. Nate was the first one to get up and follow you, while my Dad yelled your name. None of us saw where you ran, but Nate seemed to know and just kept running after you till he finally pulled you into his arms. You screamed at him, telling him to let you go but he didn't. He never let go. And then you collapsed in his arms and all Hell broke loose from there. Nate was freaking out and trying not to cry while I was sobbing and Shane was trying to wake you up with Nate. You were so…lifeless. I honestly thought I lost you." I could see Mitchie was tearing up and I looked away, tears also threatening to fall on my face, but she continued. "Then Nate and Shane took you to the guest bedroom and waited. Nate never left your side. He never slept or ate or drank anything. He said he wanted to be there when you woke up." I glanced towards Nate, who looked so peaceful while he slept. How could he love me that much? "Then when you did wake up, you tried running again. But Nate was there to save you, again. You yelled at him but he wouldn't let go, and then you collapsed a second time. Nate began freaking out all over again, blaming himself for not being able to calm you down while Shane yelled at him to stop blaming himself for everything. It wasn't really a very pretty sight…tension was high and if people weren't crying then they were yelling at each other." She sighed, and I figured it was the end of her story.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled again, looking down. I had put a lot of people into unnecessary stress. Mitchie smiled at me, though,

"I know you would have done the same for me."

I smiled back, before cuddling into Nate's side, falling asleep for the third time but this time feeling completely safe.

When I woke up, Nate was awake, looking much better than before. Mitchie was gone and no one else was in the room. I felt sick.

"Hey." Nate said softly, taking my hand and kissing it gently. I smiled at him a little.

"Hey." I said back closing my eyes as I took in a few deep breaths.

"You wanna talk about it?" He asked cautiously, his voice still calm and low.

I shrugged, "What is there to talk about? He's gone." There were no tears this time. Nope, I was all cried out. Now I think I was just bitter.

"Everyone has to go someday, Caitlyn…" Nate whispered, stroking my hand with his thumb.

"But it wasn't his time yet." I argued, shaking my head.

"You don't know that, baby. I think God was ready to take him. And I think your Grandpa was ready too."

"Well did God ever ask me if I was ready?!" I yelled, instantly losing my temper, "Because it sure as Hell felt like I wasn't!"

Nate sighed, looking down. "I know this is hard to accept, baby, but he really is gone now…and I think he would have wanted you to be happy."

"How do you know? You don't! You never knew him! You never even got to meet him! Why? Because I was too stupid to take you to meet him! He deserved to meet you!" I was still yelling, but Nate was taking all of it in.

"You weren't stupid, Caitlyn. These things happen, you couldn't have known about it ahead of time."

"He wasn't supposed to go! He was supposed to see me Graduate! And see me get married! He was gonna teach me how to drive, and was going to take me fishing every spring break like we always did! But who's going to do that now? Who's going to fill up the hole in my heart?" I wasn't yelling anymore, but I was still angry. Angry with myself, and angry with God. I didn't even know if I was allowed to be mad at him, but I needed to be anyways.

Nate was silent, but kept a firm grasp on my hand. I felt like I was never going to get out of this. I felt like my sanity was slipping away, and honestly the only reason I even had any left was because of Nate. All he had to do was sit there and watch me and I felt like I was at least a little bit normal.

"Are you still going to want to be with me after all of this?" I had asked him after one particularly rough day of him talking to me and me not saying a word back. He looked at me with hard eyes, before responding.

"I'm not even going to respond to that because you know the answer. Caitlyn, come on. How long is this going to last, baby? It's been almost 4 days now that I've been by your bedside and you've been going in and out on me. You need to get out of bed and become normal again sometime."

"What, so are you saying I'm not normal?" I asked, immediately becoming defensive.

"Caitlyn…" He said, sighing.

"What? Don't 'Caitlyn' me! If you're sick of waiting on me then just leave! No one asked you to stay!"

Nate must love me more than I thought because he didn't leave. He fought for the part of me that I thought I had lost with my Grandfather.

"I want to stay, I just hate seeing you like this. It hurts me too, Caitlyn. To know I can't do anything to help you."

"I don't need help." I said, though even I knew I did.

He sat on the edge of my bed and cupped my face in his hands, before whispering: "I just want my Caitlyn back."

And I swear to God, the _actual_ Nate William Presley began to cry. It wasn't any heavy weeping, but I saw him get up and quickly look away, hiding his face from me so I couldn't see.

"Nate," I said, my heart reaching out to his. I could see his eyes were red and I held out my arms to him. He willingly accepted my embrace, as I held him close to me. I hadn't realized how much my depression was hurting him, too. "I'm sorry." I whispered into his hair. "The moment I know how to bring back the old Caitlyn, I will."

He looked at me carefully, before sitting up, taking both my hands into his.

"I think you already brought her back." He said, smiling a little. He was right, I was responding to him and smiling, and I was feeling his emotions like I used to. "I love you, Caitlyn."

"I love you, too." I whispered back, beginning to cry. (I know, like there hadn't been enough crying already.) Nate pulled me into his lap, holding me close to him like a baby as he rocked me back and forth.

"I thought I lost you." He kept mumbling over, and over again.

"You could never lose me Nate," I whispered, "Never."

--

WHEW! That was a depressing one. I was crying tons through this one. So this was actual kind of a personal experience with me…my Grandfather passed away and I freaked like this. Course I didn't have a Nate to love me and comfort me at the time, but I still went through it all the same. Don't worry! Caitlyn will come back to her normal self soon! She just needs to accept it first, which is usually the hardest thing to accept about death.

Forgive me for the type-o's, but I really feel this Chap is much too emotional to care about grammar.


	10. Chapter 10

Now comes the healing process with good ole' Nateee. :) Aww. So, this Chapter is not very drama-full, but gimme a break it is about 4 in the morning. But there is lots of Naitlyn, and a late night conversation with Shane…

Ooohhh. Could get some drama… haha. Enjoy! Oh! I almost forgot! My name's Allison. :) I wish it was spelled Alyson, boy, do I, but it's not lol. Anyways back to the story. OH! And I apologize in advance for the suckiness of the Chapter.

--

Even though I never thought I would come out of the depressing state in which I had fallen after I had received the news of my Grandfather's death, Nate seemed to think otherwise. He stayed up with me all night when I couldn't sleep, and listened for hours when I needed to talk about some past memories. The wounded part was over now. I was done crying, and blaming myself for what had happened. Nate had been right all along, it was his time to go and I couldn't have stopped that.

I still felt guilty though, for never calling him or talking to him after I left home, but I knew that he forgave me for it anyways. Because that was who my Grandfather was, he never held grudges and always understood every little detail about everyone. He understood me, and why I left.

So, back to the analysis of death. As I said before, I'm done crying about it now. I had cried my heart and soul out, and everyone knew it. Now just came the hard part- the healing, and moving on.

Nate was doing a really good job of supporting me. He made sure I had company when I wanted it, and space when I needed it. He offered to sing to me, and even though I refused him because I thought it would make me cry, I still knew it was really sweet of him.

It was Sunday afternoon now, about 5 days since I had gotten the news about his death. I was slowly beginning to come out of my slump, and since I had some alone time with Nate, I grabbed the chance to apologize.

I sat down on the floor next to him and gently took the guitar out of his hands, placing it next to me. He looked at me, confused for a second.

"I have something to say." I said softly, glancing up at him before looking down and fidgeting with my thumb- that stupid bad habit of mine.

"Yeah, sure, what's going on?"

"I wanted to apologize-"

He immediately cut me off. "No, baby, there's nothing to apologize for-"

"Just let me finish." I said, looking up at him. He sighed, but nodded his head, allowing me to go on. "Anyways. I would like to apologize for ruining Christmas. I know it was important to you because it was important to me, too. And instead of spending time laughing and opening gifts and eating eggnog, you were stuck worrying about me because I was too immature to handle the situation correctly. I just feel really bad because it was our first real big holiday together…and I blew it. So…I'm sorry…."

He took my hand in his and interlaced our fingers together, before holding the charm on my bracelet, which had half of the heart on it and held it between his fingers.

"See this heart?" He asked. I nodded. "It means you have mine. Only you. And no matter what happens between us, I'm never going to give up on you, or give up on us. It was a tough thing that you had to go through but look- you're slowly coming out of it already. I'm proud of you, Caitlyn. I'm really proud of you for constantly fighting for yourself. You never gave up."

I smiled at him, quickly dabbing at my eyes.

"You're gonna make me cry." I complained, laughing a little when he wiped away a stray tear.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me towards him, nuzzling his head in the crook of my neck. I giggled a little, (I'm ticklish, remember?) and pushed him away gently, before wrapping my arms around him tightly. Even though I had so much grief resting on my shoulders, I was still amazingly happy at the same time. And I owed it all to the boy who was holding me in his arms.

I hadn't gotten enough courage to talk to my Father yet on the phone because I was afraid of breaking down all over again. So I had Nate talk to my parents' everyday, telling them I was all right and that I was eating again and back into a pretty much healthy and normal lifestyle like before. Nate informed me that the funeral was on Tuesday, and that we would be flying the Jet out early Tuesday morning and spending three days there catching up with my parents and helping out my Grandma. Then afterwards, if I was feeling up to it, we would go visit Nate's parents for the weekend, just because they wanted to meet me so bad and we had to cancel on them because of my condition.

It was weird how quickly Nate and I had fallen into the routine of living together. We gave each other space, when needed. And he would work on his music while I was reading or laying down just trying to organize my thoughts.

Then one night, after Nate had fallen fast asleep and everyone in the house I was sure was also asleep, I got inspired to write. I don't know what I was writing, but I went downstairs into the kitchen, lit a candle and just sat there writing for sometimes-even hours at a time. It was all just thoughts and nonsense, but it was kind of turning into therapy for me.

I had been doing this for the past 3 nights, and when I slipped downstairs again once Nate was asleep, I saw that I wasn't alone. Shane was in the kitchen, looking like he was waiting for someone. Me, maybe?

"Hey?" I said, well more like asked, as I took a seat next to him, not allowing my sheets of paper to be set on the ground. I felt a little exposed in only pajama bottoms and a skimpy tank top, but I looked at Shane like an older brother to me, I knew I had nothing to be worried about while I was with him.

"Hey." He said, sending me a sleepy looking smile. "I'm just wondering, because it's killing Mitchie-well me, too. What are you doing when you come down here?"

I laughed a little, setting down my papers, but still making sure he couldn't read them.

"I'm just writing." I replied, smiling at him.

"Writing like…lyrical writing? Or just writing down what you're feeling?"

I shrugged. "Both, I guess. I mean right now it kind of looks like a poem but…I don't know I've never really been the song writer, that's generally Mitchie's area of expertise."

"And what, you think by writing one little song it'll make her end your friendship together?" He teased, rolling his eyes as I smacked his arm with my papers.

"Nooo." I said, sticking my tongue out at him. "I just don't think it's any good, that's all."

"Uh-huh. Let me see 'em." He said, leaning his head on his hand as he studied me and held out his hands for the papers.

I held them tightly to my chest, appalled that he would ask such a thing. "What? No way!" I said, gripping them even tighter.

"Oh, don't be such a drama queen. Just let me see them." Shane argued, still holding out his hand for them.

I glanced at the papers, then at Shane. Who honestly looked like he didn't want to read them to make fun of me, but he really was just curious to what I had written.

"Fine." I said, handing them over, "But not a word to anyone about this! Not even Nate, okay? I'd hate for him to make me have to sing it to him…or something." I shuddered, just thinking about it.

"Alright, alright. I won't say anything to the future husband." He said, again rolling his eyes. I gasped at him and whacked him again, though I was laughing. "What? You know it's true!" He defended. And I smiled- I did know it was true.

I began playing with my thumb after Shane had looked at them for a really long time and hadn't said anything. Finally, he looked up at me with a seriously hard look on his face and said,

"Caitlyn, these are gold." He said sincerely.

I blushed, "They're nothing." I stuttered, trying to make him think otherwise.

He raised his eyebrows at me. "These aren't just nothing. _I've learned to be strong when the walls are tumbling all around my heart._ Caitlyn, that's incredible language you're using. And your chorus, I mean, wow. _You might say I feel Lost and Found, you might say I'm all turned around. This is the first time that I know who I am. 'Cause now my feet are on solid ground, before I didn't know up from down. _How did you-"

"Whoa, whoa. Chorus?" I asked, shaking my head. "Shane, these aren't good enough to even be used in a song. And I don't even have a good voice to sing it even if it did become a song."

"Caitlyn, you have an amazing voice, you just don't know it. I've heard you sing with Mitchie before- you have something there. It may not be as trained and as matured as Mitchie's is, but she's had voice lessons and naturally has that tone of voice. I'm sure if you just fiddled with your sound you could sing just as good as Mitch. ….Maybe better."

I shook my head again. "Shane, no way. Singing is Mitchie's thing- not mine. I am not going to steal that from her!"

"_Stealing? _What is it that you're stealing? Anybody can sing! Everybody can sing! You're not stealing anything from her, in fact I think she might be happy for you."

"No, Shane." I said forcefully. "These aren't lyrics, they're just…they're just words!"

"Words that can be put into a great song, Caitlyn." Shane never gives up, I swear.

I sighed, closing my eyes. "For the last time, Shane Grey, no. I'm the music producer and she's the singer. I have no potential in singing at all and it's not what I was meant to do. That…_poem_ was written only because I was in a severe depression. No one was even supposed to see them anyways!"

"Well that's a shame because I think the whole world should hear them."

"Hear what, Shane? THERE'S NOTHING TO LISTEN NO. THEY'RE JUST WORDS." I was yelling now. Well actually both of us had been arguing rather loudly since the discussion had gotten so heated, and when Nate heard a faint rustling he cupped his hand and shoved it over my mouth.

"Would you just _shut up_ for 5 seconds please?"

I glared, tempted to stick my tongue out so it would make him remove his hand but I decided against it and stood there, waiting for what he had to say.

"Now Caitlyn, you can trust me on this when I say that these lyrics are _good._ They came from the heart, which makes them even better, and you naturally already have a really good rhythm to the song. I'm not saying that you have to sing it, or do anything with it. I'm just requesting that you not throw it away, and consider maybe trying to come up with a tune for it. Because you might be surprised by the outcome of it."

He removed his hand from my mouth, handing me back the papers.

"Just think about it, alright?" He said, before giving me a hug and heading to his bedroom. I slumped into a chair in the kitchen and rustled through my papers, getting angry. I didn't want to be a singer, and I didn't like that Shane liked my lyrics. I mean I was flattered and everything that a popstar such like him actually thought my lyrics weren't crap, but I most importantly didn't want him to tell anybody. Especially not Nate, because he would most likely make me sing to him or something- which I was not comfortable doing at all.

After staring at the words written on all the different pieces of paper, I finally gave up and retired to the bedroom, hiding my lyrics and laying down on my back, counting sheep until I had finally fallen asleep. I think I had gotten to sheep number 1,346 before actually drifting off.

For the next two days whenever I looked at Shane I got a wink from him, which was really starting to irritate me. I could tell it was bothering Nate, too, because whenever I rolled my eyes at him, Nate either stiffened or looked away, pretending not to notice anything. Mitchie, however, just grinned at me.

I cornered Shane the second I had him alone.

"You told didn't you?" I demanded, preparing my hand to start slapping his arm violently.

He grimaced, "Well I didn't have a choice!" I hit his arm. "Ow! She told me I had to tell her!" Another whack. "Will you please stop hitting me? Seriously, you're going to give me arthritis or something."

I rolled my eyes. "Wah, wah. You're such a baby. I told you not to tell her!"

"Well! She wouldn't let me sleep unless I did and you know Mitchie you can't lie to her! She always knows! And I was tired so I just told her to shut her up- which didn't really end up working because she squealed with excitement about how you two could sing duets together-"

I pinned him against the wall, pointing at his face with my finger.

"There will be no. Duet singing. And if Nate so much as hears that I've been writing? Well, you won't be doing much duet singing any longer. Or any type of singing for that matter. Do you understand me?"

Shane nodded, hands up in surrender, "Yes Ms. Gellar." He said.

I think he was trying to be annoying but I at least now knew he wouldn't say anything to Nate about it, which was relieving.

So you can see how I would be confused when Nate asked me where the lyrics were.

"I just want to see them, Cait!" He pouted, "Just once! And then I promise I won't ask again!"

"Ugh!" I groaned in frustration. "Who told you?"

Nate looked at his shoes, "That's classified information."

"What, so you're with the FBI now that you can't tell me stuff? Was it Shane?! I swear, if it was, I'm going to kill-"

"It wasn't Shane." Nate said quickly looking up at me. That only meant one thing.

"MITCHIE!" I screamed, fuming.

Mitchie ran in with Shane behind her, looking alarmed.

"I told nobody to say a word, and yet Nate still seems to know. What is wrong with you guys? I just asked one little thing to be private. Just _one_, Shane. And you go off telling Mitchie, who then ran off to tell Shane. Why couldn't it just stay private?"

"Why didn't you want me to know about them so bad?" Nate asked. And I could tell by his tone that he was hurt.

I quickly looked away. "It wasn't that I didn't want you to know…it's just. Well! The point is that I asked them not to tell you and yet that's what they did. After I told them not to!"

"Only because your lyrics are good, Caitlyn!" Shane jumped in, arguing with me again.

"Okay so Shane gets to see them but I don't?" Nate asked, more angry tan hurt. "Should I just assume that you two are dating now?"

"Hey hey!" Mitchie yelled, coming to my rescue. "That's too far, Nate."

"Yeah! I love Shane like a brother. God, Nate, sometimes you're so paranoid."

"What? _I'm _paranoid? Have you looked at yourself lately?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I challenged, glaring at him. We were now about a foot away from each other, and yelling at the top of our lungs.

"I think you know what it means."

"No, Nate, I don't speak Genius. What does it mean?"

"What do you mean, 'Genius'? So now you're dissing my intellectual abilities?"

"What intellectual abilities? You can hardly-"

"GUYS!" Both Shane and Mitchie yelled, causing Nate and I to jump.

"What is going on with you two?" Mitchie asked, looking back and forth between Nate and me.

"Yeah, what the hell is wrong with you two? You aren't even arguing over anything legit, you're just yelling." Shane said, looking confused.

"Rather loudly, too." Mitchie added, as Shane nodded.

"I just want to see the lyrics." Nate said softly, glancing up at me. I sighed.

"Could you guys excuse us, please?"

The eyed us for a second, so I added, "There won't be any yelling, I promise." They nodded and left, and I shut the door, even though I knew they were probably just listening in on the other side.

I ignored it and turned to Nate, who seemed really upset.

"I just wanted to read them, Caitlyn. I wasn't going to make fun of you for them if that's what you thought."

"I didn't think that. I just…well…the song was supposed to be a surprise for you." I said, looking down. "You know since I ruined Christmas and all."

Nate looked up, surprised. "What?" He asked, softly.

I inhaled deeply. "I felt bad about not being able to spend a bunch of time with you on Christmas…so I sorta began writing. And at first it was nothing but then I realized my song had potential- well, a little. So I began fiddling with it and trying to put a tune to it so I could sing it to you…but only to you."

Nate approached, me, wrapping his arms around me as I leaned into him.

"Thank you." He whispered, kissing my forehead. "But you don't have to. I told you before you didn't ruin anything."

I shook my head, "I want to fix what I did and make it up to you. I really do. But first, can you tell Mitchie and Shane to go on a walk or something? I really do only want you to hear it."

He nodded, quickly rushing to the door and telling them to leave. I could hear complaining and stomping, but I knew they had left the house all the same.

Nate sat down on the bed as I stood in front of him and inhaled a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.

Well, here goes nothing…

_This is my world, _

_4 walls and a view._

_I stare at the ceiling,_

_Chasing these feelings,_

_Around in my head._

_I'm so confused,_

_Constantly wishing, _

_For what I've been missing in my life._

_I learned to be strong,_

_When the walls are crumbling,_

_All around my heart._

_You might say I feel Lost and Found, _

_You might say I'm all turned around._

_This is the first time that I know who I am._

_Cause now my feet are on solid ground,_

_Before I didn't know up from down._

_I won't bother, _

_To find where I'm going now._

_I must confess,_

_I was a mess._

_I tried not to show it,_

_Didn't want them to know it, _

_Cause everyone has,_

_Their own cross to bear,_

_And mine is still waiting,_

_For everything to fall back into place._

_But I learned to be strong,_

_When the rain is falling,_

_All around my heart._

_You might say I feel Lost and Found, _

_You might say I'm all turned around._

_This is the first time that I know who I am._

_Cause now my feet are on solid ground,_

_Before I didn't know up from down._

_Thanks to love, _

_I know where I'm going now._

_You might say I feel Lost and Found, _

_You might say I'm all turned around._

_This is the first time that I know who I am._

_Cause now my feet are on solid ground,_

_Before I didn't know up from down._

_I won't bother, _

_To find where I'm going now._

_Don't look back,_

_Learn from the past._

_Livin' for now is what keeps me going._

_Don't look back,_

_But hold the memories._

_I can do this_

_I must do this. _

_This is my world,_

_A much better view._

_I feel myself growing,_

_Without even knowing,_

_What lies ahead,_

_But who really knows?_

_I'll just embrace it_

_With love I can face it._

_You might say I feel Lost and Found, _

_You might say I'm all turned around._

_This is the first time that I know who I am._

_Cause now my feet are on solid ground,_

_Before I didn't know up from down._

_Thanks to love, _

_I know where I'm going now._

_You might say I feel Lost and Found, _

_You might say I'm all turned around._

_This is the first time that I know who I am._

_Cause now my feet are on solid ground,_

_Before I didn't know up from down._

_Thanks to love,_

_I know where I'm going now._

_I know where I'm going now._

_I know where I'm going now…_

When I finished, Nate didn't say anything so I bit my lip and stared down at my feet, my heart pounding in my ears.

"Was it that bad?" I squeaked, glancing up at him nervously.

"No, baby, that was…amazing. I didn't know you could sing."

I blushed, still not making eye contact with him.

"You're the first person I've ever sang in front of." I said softly, smiling a little. I was glad to have been able to share something like this with him.

He stood up and raised my chin up so I would look at him. He was smiling down at me, which caused me to smile, too.

"You should sing in front of people more often, Cait. Really, I can't believe you wrote that all by yourself…it's…I love it. I really do."

"You're exaggerating." I said, still blushing as I buried my face into his chest, though very please that he had liked it.

"No, I'm not. Thank you for singing to me. I know it wasn't easy."

I nodded, kissing his jaw, "For you I'd do anything."

"Anything?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows. I laughed and shoved him playfully, but gave him a kiss anyways.

"Yes, my prince charming, for you I'd do _anything."_

--

Yay! :D Oh and by the way, that song I used is called Lost and Found and it is actually sung by Alyson Stoner herself. It's an amazing song, so you should youtube it and listen to it. :) R&R!


	11. Chapter 11

Ehhh Allison's back! Haha. I am so incredibly sorry I haven't updated in like 3 days. I've been in a really bad mood and just haven't gotten any inspiration to write, let alone just think about the characters. P But I think I'm out of it now…hopefully.

--

We had a flight out early the next morning. After bidding goodbyes to the family, I instantly transitioned into a different mode. Not the one where I was singing, dancing, and laughing with everyone. I was now going into solitary mode, when I kept to myself and didn't really talk much.

I could tell that Nate was a little bothered by this, but he didn't say anything. He had been also preparing for this day I think, and the only reason he was really coming with me was for emotional support. Oh, and my parents love him. I think I've mentioned that before though.

It was a quick flight in which mainly I just stared out the window, totally engrossed in my thoughts. I, too, was preparing myself for everyone's hugs and tears and apologies. My goal for the whole day was that I didn't cry. Well…we'll see how I do.

When I knocked on the door to my house, nobody answered. I glanced at Nate who shrugged, before opening the door. It was relatively quiet.

"Mom?" I called out softly, "Dad?"

Nate followed behind me with his hand resting on my waist, pulling me close to him as we walked into the living room. I saw pictures of my Grandpa all around the room, and people were sitting on the sofa crying or talking softly. I saw my Dad in a chair by himself, just thinking.

I immediately went towards him, bringing Nate with me. I sort of knelt down by my Dad's legs, putting a hand on his knee. He looked up, surprised to see me, and when his eyes flickered to Nate he smiled.

"Nate. How have you been?" He asked, after standing up and giving both of us a hug.

"I'm doing well, sir. I'm sorry about your loss." Nate said, more business like than father-son like. My Dad clapped a hand on his shoulder, sighing sadly.

"We all have to go sooner or later, son. It's only a matter of time." He said honestly, before sitting back down in his chair. I cast a glance at Nate, who seemed pretty depressed, too.

When I turned around my Mother greeted me. Who seemed to be in a much better condition than my Dad.

"Oh, thank you Mrs. Gellar." Nate said warmly.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here. Hello, Nate." She smiled at him, "Why don't you two run up to your room, Caitlyn? I have some clothes out for you for this afternoon, and Nate, Caitlyn's Father took the liberty in buying you a suit since he was sure you wouldn't have one on you."

"Of course. Now go get ready we're going to leave in a little bit here."

I gave my Mom a quick hug before Nate and I walked up the steps to my bedroom. When I entered, it was weird to see that everything was in the same spot. It was still my bedroom, but it didn't feel like mine anymore. I was much too familiar with the one that I shared with Mitchie I hardly even felt like this was my room, or my house even.

"What's wrong?" Nate asked, noting the disturbed look on my face.

"Nothing," I said, smiling a little, "It just doesn't feel like home is all."

He nodded, understanding. Even though I had grown up my whole life here, it had never had the warm feeling of a home. To me it just felt like a place I went to when I needed to sleep or eat.

We changed in silence, not even bothering to use the bathroom, or to turn away from each other. I had seen Nate in shorts before, and without a shirt on. So it really made no difference to me that he was in his boxers. And I was wearing a tank top and underwear, which Nate had also seen before. I wasn't really paying attention to whether or not he was watching me, but even if he was I didn't really care. It had been almost 6 months that we had been together and I was more than comfortable around him. I mean I must have been if I had agreed to sing in front of him. Much less sing a song I _made up. _I still can't believe I had done that.

After we were both dressed, I checked myself in the mirror before heading towards the door. Nate caught my wrist, gently pulling me to him.

"I know this is hard for you, but don't forget that I'm here, okay? I don't want you to slip into depression again."

I was about to say something not so friendly back, but I noticed the sadness in his voice and eyes, so instead I smiled at him and placed a hand on his cheek.

"I know. And I won't, I promise." I kissed his cheek before walking out the door and downstairs, where all the guests had left. "Where is everyone?" I asked, coming into the kitchen where Mom and Dad were putting on coats.

"They left for the Cemetery. We need to get going as well." My Mom said, checking us up and down once before smiling. "Nate you look dashing in that suit."

At this my Dad glanced up at him, also taking him in. He smiled, "She's right, you look very professional."

Nate blushed, "Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Gellar." He said quietly. I smiled at him.

It was a quiet drive to the Cemetery, except Mom tried to make small talk with Nate and I. Dad and me were too absorbed thinking about what was about to happen that she was only really talking to Nate. Whom I silently thanked for making me not talk.

I was going to keep my promise to Nate, about not slipping into depression again. But I wasn't sure if I was able to keep my promise to myself, about not being able to cry. Because that ceremony before they buried him was probably the hardest thing I had to go through. Oh and on top of it all? It had started to rain. I know, just perfect for a funeral.

The entire time I had been leaning against Nate, who had his arm around me protectively. As they were lowering my Grandpa into the ground, though, I turned into Nate, hiding my face into his chest as he held me. I did cry, but I wasn't sobbing. They were silent tears.

I didn't look back up until people began to leave. Then I walked up to the grave and placed on the dirt and set the original lyrics of "Lost and Found" on it. The song was dedicated to him, after all. Some of it was about Nate, yeah, but mostly just about my Grandfather and dealing with it.

I knelt by the grave for what felt like hours. I talked to him, like he was right there with me. I laughed at some of our jokes, I cried a little, and I told him I was sorry. Sorry for not trying. Sorry for not caring. I think he understood, though, even if he couldn't hear what I was saying.

Nate finally wrapped his arms around me and told me we should leave. I did as I was told, following him and my parents to the car. I wasn't really thinking at this time. I think I was back into the shock part again.

That night Dad, Nate and I all sat around a fire inside the house sipping Hot Chocolate while we talked. Mom and fallen asleep early because she was really exhausted from cleaning and cooking for the people who had come earlier that day.

I was in one of Nate's sweatshirts and pajama bottoms, curled up in a blanket on the floor, leaning against the arm of the couch, while Nate sat next to me, in sweats and a t-shirt. My Dad sat on the other side of us in his big armchair since he had a back problem and couldn't join us on the floor.

I was staring into the flames, completely engrossed in my thoughts when my Dad finally spoke.

"You know it's interesting. Seeing how everyone deals with grief. I don't really know what Caity here went through, but I know it was tough on me."

I looked up at him and smiled, before looking away again.

"She was a real trooper, sir." Nate said, defending me even though it wasn't necessary. "She took it pretty hard but she kept on fighting right through it. I'm proud of her."

He smiled at me and kissed my hand, interlacing our fingers together. I smiled back at him. My Dad seemed to absorb all of this in before speaking.

"Can I ask you guys a rather personal question?"

Nate and I glanced at each other before I nodded. "Sure."

"You guys aren't…well…having sex, are you?" He asked, as if the word 'sex' had burned his tongue.

I shook my head, smiling a little. "Nope. We're not even thinking about it Daddy so you have nothing to worry about."

This seemed to satisfy my Dad because he seemed to loosen up and began asking some questions to Nate.

"So, Nate, you're in Connect 3 right? How's that going?"

"Well, sir, I'd say it's going incredibly well. Cait's doing a more than amazing job at the intern and they all love her at Rhino Records. I'm sure she's going to get a deal with someone soon."

I giggled. Again, something I don't do often.

"He's over-exaggerating. I just do it 'cause I love it." I said, blushing a little. Nate really did speak too highly of me.

"Eh, I doubt that he's over-exaggerating. But I can tell you love what you do." My Dad said, laughing a little.

"Yeah, I do. I just wish Grandpa could've seen that…" I said, looking away.

"Oh, Caitlyn." Nate said softly, pulling me towards him and wrapping his arms around me. "We've talked about this before, remember? He would have been proud of you. And even though he may not be here in person, he's still right in here." He took our hands that were interlaced together and he set them on my heart.

I nodded, fighting tears as I stared into the flames of the fire that was close to burning out. Dad stayed silent through Nate's little spiel.

"I know." I said, nodding my head. I yawned a little and stood up, stretching. "We should get to bed." I said, pulling Nate up to his feet. Dad rose as well.

"Yeah, I'll see you two in the morning." He said, bidding us goodnight.

"Night Dad." I said, kissing his cheek.

Nate shook his hand. "See you in the morning, sir." He said, before heading up the stairs with me.

It was relatively silent, as we got ready for bed. And the moment my head hit the pillow I was out cold.

We spent the remainder of our time in my hometown with my Parents. We were really starting to bond together as a family, and I could tell that Nate really fit in. My Father was treating him like he was the son he never had, and since my Mom and I had gotten space our relationship had improved drastically. I think that was all we had needed in the first place- just some time and space away from each other.

But now we were so close that I was actually going to miss her once we left. I mean I missed her before, but I was also pretty happy to get out of the house the last time. But now I actually kinda didn't want to leave. I was laughing, messing around, and having fun. And my parents happened to love the boy I was dating.

How often does that happen to a teenage girl?

Nate's house was the last stop on our list before I got to head home. We were only going to visit for 2 days, but I was looking forward to it. I had never met any of Nate's family but I heard from Shane they were really nice and that they would probably love me. Well, we'll see about that.

When we got to his house, I looked it up and down. It was really big. I wouldn't be surprised if they had a pool in the back. A little nervous, I looked up at him.

"Is everyone gonna like me? Like your siblings and stuff? I mean are they nice? Or will they hate me?"

Nate laughed and kissed my forehead. "They're gonna love you, babe. Kelsey's so excited to meet you, and same with Candace."

Kelsey and Candace were Nate's sisters. Candace was about 2 years older than Nate, and is turning 18 in March. And Kelsey is Nate's younger sister, who was 13. I had a feeling Kelsey might be more understanding than Candace.

Nate's parents greeted us first.

"Caitlyn! Oh I've heard so much about you how are you dear?" Mrs. Presley gushed, pulling me into a hug.

I laughed a little, hugging her. "I'm great thanks Mrs. Presley. Aw, well Nate always brags about your cooking."

She blushed, letting me go and pulling me into the kitchen with Nate's Dad, leaving Nate at the door alone.

"I'm great, Mom, Dad, how are you? Really? That's great. Yeah things with me are going fine." Nate said, standing at the doorway talking to himself.

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Oh stop being a drama queen and shut the door."

Nate's parents laughed as he glared, but shut the door all the same.

"So, how long have you guys been dating?" Mrs. Presley asked, winking at me.

"It'll be 5 months in about a week." I said proudly, grinning.

"That's my boy." Mr. Presley said, clapping Nate on the shoulder. He blushed and I giggled.

"Is she here?" I heard a girls voice call from the top of the stairs.

"Yes, Kels, come on down and say hello!" Nate called back up to her.

"And bring your sister down, too!" His Mom yelled, while warming things up in the microwave.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked, referring to the food she was obviously warming up for dinner.

She shook her head and smiled at me. "Nonsense. You're a guest here, you'll do nothing but tell us embarrassing stories about Nate."

Nate groaned and I laughed, rubbing his arm a bit.

"Oh don't be a baby. I don't even have any embarrassing stories about you." I assured him, leaning up and kissing his cheek.

"Oh great. So the perfect couple has arrived. Whoop de freaking do."

I looked up quickly, noting the sarcasm. What my eyes landed on was someone completely opposite to Nate. And I mean, total opposite.

Nate had curly brown hair with brown eyes. Candace had stick straight blonde hair with side bangs, and bright blue eyes. She was dressed in what looked to be an expensive sweater and designer jeans. I glanced at Nate for reassurance before giving her a big smile.

"You must be Candace." I said, holding out my hand. "Nate's told me all about you."

She looked me up and down, ignoring my hand and playing with the necklace around her neck. "I'll bet." She said, before walking off and sitting at the table and pulling out her brand new iphone.

Nate's parents seemed embarrassed, but didn't say anything. I glanced at Nate for any form of support, but he was staring at his shoes. I guess since she was the eldest one Nate didn't really get much say in anything.

But the room got brighter when little Kelsey ran in. Okay, so she wasn't little, she was only 2 years younger than me. But still, she was pretty young.

Now _she_ resembled Nate. She had curly brown hair to her shoulders, with chocolate eyes. She dressed kind of like how I did back in the day, a pair of loose black basketball shorts and a jersey over it, with a slight tint of lip-gloss on her lips.

When she saw me she squealed and gave me a hug. I was taken aback but hugged her back all the same.

"Ohmygosh! Nate talks about you like, 24/7! You're Caitlyn, right?"

"Indeed I am." I said, laughing.

"Wow! What was it like hard to mix for the song This is Me? I love music. Kinda like what you do, too! I was hoping maybe you would like to give me some tips sometime-?"

"Whoa, Kels, slow down there, let her breathe." Nate said, chuckling a little as he wrapped an arm around my waist. I leaned into him.

"I would love to give you some tips, Kelsey."

"Omg! Thanks so much!" She gave me another hug before sitting down at the table. I sat next to Nate, with Candace across from me and Kelsey sat across from Nate. Mrs. Presley sat to the left of me, while Mr. Presley sat to the right of Nate.

Nate had given me a heads up about Grace before eating, so I had obediently not started and waited.

I sat awkwardly as Candace was absorbed in her phone, texting apparently.

Mr. Presley cleared his throat. "Candace. Put the phone away it's dinner time."

She ignored him, but after sending her text set her phone down and we all joined hands as Mr. Presley said Grace.

"Amen." I said at the end, squeezing Nate's hand before putting the napkin on my lap. Candace for most of the dinner stayed quiet. I figured it was because Kelsey was doing all the talking. And it wasn't until she spoke up that I even remembered she was there.

"Yeah Caitlyn and I were thinking of recording one of her songs it's called Lost and Found and trying to sell it as a single or something. It's really good."

And this is where the demon stepped in.

"Yeah right." She muttered, causing me to look up from my plate. I blushed and looked down, while Nate glared at her but continued.

"What's your song about, Caity? Tell 'em." Nate said, prodding me to talk more.

"Oh it's just about how my Grandpa died and how Nate was there for me through it all…"

"Oh I'm sure you enjoyed that." She muttered again.

I glanced at Nate. I didn't want to make a scene but it wasn't like me to not stick up for myself.

"Do you have a problem?" I asked, suddenly getting the courage to look her in the eyes as I said so. I didn't need another Tess Tyler in my life. Let alone one from Nate's family.

"Yeah. I do have a problem." She snapped back, giving me attitude. "I tend to have lots of problems when the girl my brother's in love with is just using him to get somewhere in music."

I scoffed. "I'm not using Nate for music."

"Oh yeah? And what about this new song you want to release with him? Lost and Drowned or whatever the hell it's called?"

"Candace!" Nate shouted, apparently pissed off. I was completely shocked to see that Nate's parents were oblivious to all of this.

"I wrote that like a week ago! After we've been together for_ four _months. I wouldn't use him!"

"That's what they all said." Candace said rather loudly, getting ready to leave the table.

"JUST BE QUIET, CANDACE." Nate roared, now on his feet. I looked at Nate it shock. I had never seen him this angry before. "Who I date and how I feel about them has nothing to do with you."

"Are you joking me? Every girl you date affects me! 'Oh Candace I love her. Candace I can't get over her. Candace she's the one. I can never lose her.' Candace! Candace! Candace! It never ends!"

She too, was standing up and yelling at Nate from across the table. I stayed silent, though I wanted to defend him I felt like it was his battle to win.

"I'm sorry for confiding in you, then! Obviously my problems aren't safe with you."

"You never confided in me you just whined! And please, don't act like they weren't a big deal. All your songs? Have you ever listened close to the lyrics? They're all about old girlfriends that have hurt you! S.O.S., 7:05, Still in Love with you, Hello Beautiful. Need I go on?"

"You don't know what you're talking about." Nate said quietly, all trace of anger in his voice evaporated.

"No, this is the one thing that I _do_ know what I'm talking about, Nate. She's gonna drop you once she gets what she wants and you'll be back to base one all over again. And who's gonna have to put you back together? Me."

I was fed up now. "Okay seriously, I'm right here. Quit talking about me like you're above me. I love Nate, with everything that I have. And we don't have to prove it to you."

"Unfortunately, Princess, I'm afraid you do."

With that Candace stalked off, slamming the door to her bedroom shut when she had reached her room. I was too pissed off myself to really talk to anybody so I began clearing the table. Everyone was silent, even Kelsey.

We all went to our beds after the dishes had been cleaned. It seemed Nate's parents trusted us as much as my Parents did because we got a room to ourselves again. When I entered I found Nate sitting on the edge of the bed, deep in thought.

I didn't say anything but began getting undressed for bed. I was feeling a little cold so I wore sweats instead of shorts but still wore a tank top since I knew Nate liked it.

I climbed into bed and we both sat there for a while, silently. Nate was the first one to speak.

"She's just worried about me. That's all." He said quietly.

"You're going to defend her?" I asked incredulously, turning to look at him. "She practically tore you to pieces!"

"She's my sister, Caitlyn. She's just trying to protect me."

"Oh, right, from all those monster previous girlfriends you've had she so nicely reminded me of."

Nate sighed, sitting crisscross and also facing me. "Caity, she doesn't hate you. She just hates my new girlfriend. That's all. And she was just saying that because I do have a tendency to get hurt and I get really depressed when I lose something I love a lot. She's just doing what big sisters do."

I thought about this for a moment, before speaking softly. "So you've loved someone before me?"

I was a little hurt. I thought I was the only girl he had ever fallen in love with. Apparently not. Wow I could be really stupid sometimes.

He seemed to struggle with himself. I don't think he quite knew how to get himself out of the situation without saying something hurtful. I saved him from the trouble.

"You don't have to answer that. That was before me it's none of my business." I made myself forget about it. "She's never going to like me…"

"Of course she will. Once she sees how much I love you, she'll love you too. Just give her some time. Like she said, we just need to show her we're in love."

I sighed, knowing he was right. "Yeah. I just hate that I have to prove it. I mean can't they tell by just looking at us that we love each other?"

"I wish it was that simple, baby, but you know it's not. I'm not around much anymore 'cause I'm so busy with Connect 3 so really the only stuff she's hearing about us is what's in the Magazines and what's on HotTunes. And sometimes not all of that information is good."

I thought about this for a moment, before climbing under the covers and lying on my back. "That's true. I just want her to like me. That's all."

"I know you do, babe. And she will. Just give her some time." Nate said, also lying down next to me and cuddling close.

He set his hand on my stomach, allowing my breathing to soothe him. I was about to fall asleep when I felt like he was watching me. I turned my head to the side and sure enough there he was just staring down at me.

"What?" I asked softly, closing my eyes again.

"I love you, Caitlyn." He said sincerely.

I opened my eyes, staring into his. "It'd be nice if you said it a little more." I replied quietly, praying he wouldn't get mad. He didn't.

"I love you. I love you. And I'll say it more I promise. I love you baby. Good night."

I cuddled into him, smiling.

"I love you, too. Sweet Dreams."

--

HA! Sudden inspiration after watching Free Willy! Lol, yes, I still watch that movie…hope you liked it! :) R&R. And also, there are about 47 alerts for this story, meaning there are 47 readers out there looking at this. Please be kind enough to review instead of just reading. And only saying, "update" doesn't count. It really is important to me to know what you guys think of my story. Thank you.


	12. Chapter 12

Hmm. It seems I have a tendency to write something long and acceptable, and then I run and hide for a few days. Really, I don't do this to torture you. I just feel like this story is going slow and I see it going nowhere. :( I know I know, it sucks thinking about that but really I feel like it's at a dead end. But, for all you readers out there I won't end it without at least a good 20 Chapters. Promise.

Two more things. One, this Chapter is dedicated to my heffaaa- she knows who she is. She asked for basically everything in this Chap so I'm giving it to her. :) Teehee. Also, if you're a fan of Gossip Girl, look out 'cause I'm preparing a very steamy fanfiction for it. Insert wink smiley here. Anyways, drama and enemies are up next. Enjoy.

--

To put it mildly, Candace was not a very happy camper. In the morning she just ignored me, which I thought was a blessing. We shared a few glares and looks here and there, but for the most part we were civil.

I really did have no idea how to approach the problem when it came to her. I mean I knew how to defend myself when it came to someone verbally attacking me about myself or someone I cared about. But when all she was doing was sending me glares, I didn't know what to do.

So, I called my trusty best friend, Mitchie. She was the nicer one out of the two of us so I was sure she would know the right thing to do. After 2 rings she had picked up.

"Hello?" She said in a singsong voice.

"Hey. It's me, Cait."

"Yeah, Caller ID." She said, laughing. I ignored her.

"Listen I need your help on something. Candace, Nate's older sister, is being a total Tess Tyler, maybe even worse. And I don't know what to do. 'Cause she won't talk to me unless it's to make a witty remark or something. And I guess I'm just not sure what to do. Ugh. I don't know."

"It sounds like you're whining." Mitchie said; slightly amused.

"Well I am." I whined. "I mean I just want her to like me and it seems like right now all she does is despise me. She probably pukes at the thought of Nate and I together."

"I doubt that." Mitchie scoffed. "I think when she's alone in her room and not doing anything you should go and talk to her about it. Tell her how long you and Nate have been dating, give her some reasons as to why you love him, you know, kinda the stuff you tell the magazines about you two. But tell her in person so it makes you sound sincere."

She had a point. "Yeah you're right. I should probably just do that. So, moving on from my boring problems. How have you and Shane been?"

I could tell she was smiling on the other side of the phone.

"Amazing."

"And the physical part of the relationship we talked about earlier? The one where you were going to talk to him on the plane?"

"Oh that. Yeah that wasn't really that big of a deal. I mean it was like what you had talked about earlier. He said he didn't wear his purity ring just 'cause it sparkled on his finger'." She laughed. "No he was really sweet about it. He said he didn't want to go that far anyways because he felt like we weren't ready. And I agreed with him."

"Aw, that's great Mitch." I said sincerely, smiling.

"Hmm. I don't know what it is but whenever I'm with him, it's like I can't be any happier. And when I'm away from him-"

"-You think about the next time you're going to be with him? Yeah. I'm in the same boat."

We both sighed as we thought of our amazing boyfriends. Nate really was all that I could ask for in a guy. He was just different than every other guy I had ever met. And I just knew that what we had was real. It's a very comfortable feeling, let me tell you. I think Mitchie was thinking along the same lines as me.

"Speaking of boyfriends, I should call mine. I miss him. A lot." I could hear the pout in her tone.

"Alright you go ahead, I have to go mend a flourishing relationship with Candace." I rolled my eyes.

"Play nice Caitlyn." She warned. I laughed and hung up the phone, before timidly walking to Candace's room. I was in luck; she was alone and didn't seem too annoyed.

I tapped on the door lightly. She looked up, and then made a rude face.

"What do you want?"

_This is for Nate. Patience Caitlyn, patience. _Yeah that's what I kept telling myself to get through the next brutal and self-esteem crushing conversation with Candace.

"I just wanted to talk." I said lamely, still standing by the door.

"About what? We have nothing to talk about."

"Well…Nate."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Not that again."

"You said I had to prove it, right? Well, here I am. I want to prove it to you." Suddenly I had a lot of courage to face her. I think it was because I was thinking about how stressed Nate was that we didn't get along.

"Now we're talking." She said, smiling. She snapped her MacBook shut and gave me her full attention. After a second of silence she added, "I'm listening."

"Oh. Right. Well, I guess I should start from the beginning, huh?"

"Why are you asking me? You're the one telling the story."

"Oh, right. Yeah." Ugh, she made me want to pull every strand of my hair out then glue it back together only to pull it back out again. Drastic, I know. But that's really how bad she is. I took a deep breath before beginning my story. I told her about how we met at Camp Rock, when we exchanged cell phone numbers, how he convinced my parents to let me move into Mitchie's house. And to top it off, I told her how he made me feel. Which I figured was always a good thing to tell someone who doubted you.

"…He just makes me feel so complete. He's everything that I'm not. A Guitarist, an amazing singer, smart, self-motivated. When I look at him, I can't help but smile. And it's the way he looks at me. Like…like I'm the only person that he sees in a room full of people. That no matter what happens we're in it together. Completely promised and swore to each other forever. Without him I think a whole part of me would die inside. I don't know what I would do if he ever told me he didn't love me anymore. I think my whole life would fall apart and I…would find no reason to live anymore."

I was silent after that. I had always known myself that Nate was a huge part of my life, but I had just openly admitted that without him I would die. I was even a little stunned myself, and I think Candace was, too. Because for those amazing, peaceful 10 seconds, she had no smart comeback.

"In that whole love letter of yours, you never said that you loved him. Do you?"

I smiled at her. "I don't need to say that I do. I think it's pretty clear. But, if it helps you get over this…_crossroad_ you're dealing with. Then yes, Candace, I love him more than anything. I would give up my life for him any day."

She was quiet for a really long time. I think she was fighting an internal battle with herself as to whether or not she should believe me. I think she wanted to believe that I was in love with Nate, but didn't want to get screwed over in the end. I stayed silent and stared at my feet while she thought. When she finally spoke, I was confused.

"It's C, by the way." She said softly.

"Huh?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound rude.

"My name. You can call me C for short. Candace is kind of an ugly name."

"What? No it isn't. I actually think it's kind of pretty."

She snorted. "Please. Imagine having 'Candy' as a nickname from the perverted guys. Not so fun."

I laughed. "That's true." There was a comfortable silence before she patted a spot on the bed that was open next to her for me to sit. I obediently sat where she hat spotted, sitting crisscross so we were across from each other. "So I was going to say you could call me C, but our name's begin with the first letter…so…"

"Hmm. Yeah, that's a dilemma. Can I call you T?"

"T?" I asked, once again confused.

"Yeah, like T for Cai-tee."

I thought about it for a second. "Well, since it's you who's calling me it- sure." I smiled at her and she smiled at me back. It felt good that we were friends. Well, I didn't really know if we could be qualified as such, but I was so relieved that I didn't have an enemy. Let alone Nate's sister, I could tell already that she had a lot of influence on him. And if Nate and I ever wanted a forever together, then she probably needed to like me, too.

After making small talk, we got down to business. She asked about my whole back-story, and I asked about hers. Previous boyfriends, best friends, secrets about Nate. You know, things I shouldn't have been asking. Wink wink.

I think we had been talking for longer than we had thought though, because a rather upset looking Nate came knocking on C's door a little while later, pouting.

"What? So you two become friends and I'm out of the picture?" He asked, rather moody.

Candace and I shared glances before looking back at him. "Duh." We both said, before bursting into laughter. I noticed a frown on Nate's face and stopped laughing as hard.

"Aw, poor baby." I said, getting off the bed and wrapping my arms around him. "We can go have some alone time if you'd like."

"Sounds great." He said, pulling me out of C's room. I looked back at C who winked at me. I laughed a little before squealing at being literally dragged by Nate into our bedroom. Not even after 5 seconds of shutting the door behind him was his mouth on mine. I was taken aback, but quickly got into it before I could even stop to think about it.

There was something in this kiss that I recognized. There was lust and desire. Nate only really kissed me like this whenever he missed me terribly after being gone away, or after we had made up from a huge fight. It was at moments like these where I liked to look into his eyes, because they told me everything. He didn't have to tell me what he was thinking because just by staring at them I could sense and understand everything he was feeling.

I wasn't aware really of what was going on until I felt my back being rammed into the wall. I pulled away from him, pouting.

"Ow. Nate, gentle." I complained, arching my back so it wouldn't hurt as bad.

"Sorry, baby." He whispered against my neck, before sucking on my pulse point. I felt a surge of electricity run through my body. He didn't sound sorry at all.

He was pushing against me so hard that I was sure I was going to have a bruise in the morning. I didn't care though, instead I wrapped my legs around his waist, and bit my lip as his hands rolled down my body and beneath my thighs to support my weight since I wasn't standing.

After a little longer of some heavy and particularly racy making out, I finally pulled away when I noticed his hand was creeping further up my stomach.

"Nate." I breathed against him, kissing his jaw. "Stop."

He groaned, but immediately removed his hand to support my other thigh. He walked towards the bed still holding me, and placed me on the bed, before climbing on top of me so he was looking down at me.

"It's not fair." He whined, burying his face in the crook of my neck.

"What's not fair?" I asked, smiling a little.

"You're too damn sexy."

I laughed, but felt his pain. Recently Nate and I had been getting way too into our make-out sessions, and I could tell that at the end we were both always left wanting more. And just the possibilities of more made us want it that badly.

Damn horny teenage hormones.

"I'm so frustrated." He said, getting off me and laying down flat on his back next to me. I turned my head to look at him.

"About what?" I asked honestly. I understood that he wanted more, but I wasn't quite sure what he was frustrated about.

"I want to be able to see you." He said truthfully, not making eye contact with me. "To touch you…just seeing you in shorts is a turn-on for me. I don't know how I'm going to make it to the wedding night."

I froze. He had never said anything to me about a wedding night. Did he truly have thoughts about marrying me or was he just saying that because he wanted to get laid?

"Wedding night?" I asked softly, curling up close to him. He cast me a sideways glance- something that told me he was nervous.

"Yeah. This may or may not freak you out…but I do plan on marrying you someday, Caitlyn Gellar. Now I don't know if you've ever had thoughts about it before. But I've been thinking about it a lot recently…which is why I've been so desperate in the make-out sessions. I no longer see you as just my girlfriend...because you're so much more than that to me. You're my soul mate."

I let that soak in for a moment.

"N-Nate, you're not proposing to me or anything, are you?"

Nate shook his head, chuckling. "No, Cait, I'm not proposing to you. I can assure you though that I will propose to you sometime. And if you're not ready when I do, I'll wait and propose to you again. And again and again, if needed. I'm never letting you go."

He was serious and I could tell. I had thought about marriage once or twice…but I never let my imagination get carried away with thoughts like getting married to Nate because I was afraid that if I thought about it then it wouldn't come true. Stupid and childish, know. But it's like what I told Candace earlier, I just couldn't imagine my life without him.

"Well…" I said slowly, making sure I was thinking before speaking. "Whenever you do propose, I promise you right now that I'll say yes. Without even thinking I would say yes."

"Would you say yes right now?" He asked, looking me dead in the eye. I gulped. I didn't want to lie to him to please him, but I honestly didn't know the answer.

"I…I don't know." I said honestly, looking away from him. "I'm sorry…"

Nate shook his head, pulling me into his arms. "There's nothing to be sorry about I understand. We've only been dating for about 5 months now. I don't expect you to be thinking of marriage at so young an age. In fact I think I might be a little worried if you were."

I laughed, hitting his chest gently.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better there's no other person I would rather get married to than you. You bring out the best in me and I love you, more than anything"

"I love you, too."

We shared a gentle kiss before I settled into his side, smiling as I thought out loud.

"So, about this family of ours after we're married. First I want a kitty."

Nate groaned. "A cat? Ugh, Cait- but they're so…"

"Cute?" I offered.

"No. I was going for more…disgusting."

I glared at him and gave him a shove. "Be nice. Cat's are so cute, especially little kitties. And imagine how cute our little baby would be with a kitty."

"Woah, woah. Now we have a baby?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, yeah. I want a cute baby boy just like Daddy first." I cooed, wrinkling my nose at him. "I hope he has your curly hair."

"What? No way. I wouldn't wish this mess on anyone."

"Aw but why?" I pouted, "A baby Nate would look so cute with curly hair."

"For starters, his name isn't 'baby Nate', and second, my hair is only decently good looking because I shove so many products into it." I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, stop being so dramatic and dream with me. I want to picture how everything's going to be. I want it to be perfect."

"Okay, okay. So first we get a kitty…and his name is gonna be…?"

"Uhm." I thought for a moment. "Either Cocoa or Pumpkin."

"Pumpkin? Baby- _Pumpkin?_"

"Alright, alright. Not Pumpkin. I want something cute though."

"Well why can't you just pick out a regular name? Like Jasmine or Bella or something?"

"Aw Bella's really cute! I like that name!" I exclaimed happily, almost bouncing in the bed. "And we could call her Bell or B for short. Aw I love it!"

"Glad I could help?" Nate asked, almost looking as if he should have thought twice before telling me about the whole Wedding Plan. "Okay so we have a kitty and a baby boy. Do you have a name for the boy?"

"I do. Either Bryce or Riley."

"Both strong names." Nate agreed, pondering for a moment, "I like the name Bryce. I always think of a wimp when I hear the name Riley."

"Yeah…Bryce it is then."

"Bryce it is. Any further plans besides this?"

"Oh yes," I said, grinning, "About a year or so after Bryce's birth, we'll have a baby girl. And along with the baby girl we'll get a puppy."

"A puppy?!" Nate stared at me wide-eyed. "Baby, you've got to be joking me. A Cat I can handle but a Cat, two babies, and a Dog? Come on!"

I pouted, playing with his shirt, "I thought you wanted me to be happy…"

He sighed, knowing I was putting on an act so he would fall for it and agree to everything I wanted. "Fine. We'll get a puppy and have a baby girl. What's the girl's name?"

"I don't know yet. But the puppy's name is definitely going to be Samuel. Sam or Sammy for short." Nate mumbled something but I just ignored him. "Yeah so that's all I want. Then I'd have the perfect family. You, Bells, Sam, Bryce, the baby girl and I. Aww I cant wait!"

"Babe, I hate to bring you out of your la la fantasy land…but you're only a sophomore. In High School."

I sighed, "I know. But a girl can still dream can't she?"

"Yeah, I suppose she can. Especially if the girl is as cute as you." He kissed my nose and I giggled, hugging him tightly.

At first the thought of him wanting to marry be was a little unnerving and scary to think about. But now whenever I thought about it, I just knew that it felt right. And that as long as I was with him, I would have nothing to worry about at all when it came to my future. I knew I was in good hands.

--

The End! All is fair in love and hate. Naitlyn are doing amazingly well, as is Smitchie. C and Caitlyn are finally on good terms. And for those of you craving some Smitchie action, I think that's going to be in the next Chapter. As well as…drum roll please…a girlfriend for Jason! Yes! Finally! The boy needs a girl. And I'm going to give him an amazing one. :) Sooo, stay tuned or 'alerted' for the next Chapter!

Reviews are loved! (Help me hit a 100? D)

xoxo


	13. Chapter 13

Thank you for getting me to a 100 reviews! Wowza! I never even thought this would get like 50 reviews and yet here I am at a 104. You guys are amayzinggg. :)

So, as promised, a new girl for Jason is going to be introduced and I'll try my bestest to get some Smitchie in there. I know you guys want more of them, but do remember that it's really hard because I can only write what Caitlyn sees, and generally she doesn't eavesdrop on the two of them. :P But I shall try anyway!

P.S.- You should read my story for Gossip Girl and give it some reviews. ;) Hehe.

--

The time that I spent with Nate's family flew by far too quickly. We had only planned to stay for 3 days, and once C and I had actually become friends, we had so much fun pulling pranks on Nate and spending time together just reading magazines and going through and saying what was true and what wasn't about Connect 3, that before I knew it it was time to leave.

I was sad to be leaving because by now their family had kinda turned into my own. C was joking around and had called me her soon-to-be-sister-in-law, even though she might have just been joking, it still meant a lot to me that she had said that. It meant that she had truly accepted me in one form or another. She had also promised that whatever rumors were going around about Nate and I would be squashed and she was sure of it. Asides from Mitchie I had felt like I had acquired another sister. It was a good feeling.

When we finally arrived at my place I threw down my bags and jumped on the couch, and laid down on my back.

"Home at last!" I groaned, closing my eyes as Nate followed behind me, laughing.

"You act like you just haven't been flown around in a private jet for the past two weeks." He teased, sitting at my feet at the end of the sofa.

I stuck my tongue out on him, "It was a figure of speech. People say it all the time."

"People? Who people? Not my people."

"Oh so you have "people" now?" I asked, rolling my eyes at him.

"Well yeah, I mean you've been to one of my concerts you've seen how many of my people I have."

I bit my lip, looking away for a second. I had never been to a concert of his. I wasn't sure if I should tell him that though because I didn't want him to be hurt or disappointed. But wouldn't it be worse to lie? I decided to go with the truth.

"I've never been to a Connect 3 concert." I said, blushing a little. I don't know why I felt so bad. I guess it was because since I hadn't gone to any Concert I felt like I wasn't supporting him. Which I was though!

"You've never been to a Connect 3 concert?" I heard a voice say from across the room. I peeked my head up over the sofa and saw Mitchie and Shane walking towards us hand-in-hand. I shook my head while Mitchie responded,

"I've never been to one either." She said, plopping down on the floor at our feet and cuddling close to Shane Even though winter was almost over it was still pretty cold.

Nate and Shane simply exchanged glances at one another, apparently unable to believe their ears. They just stared at us.

"What?" I asked defensively. "It's not like my parents would ever let me go, you know that Nate."

"Yeah and your concerts aren't exactly cheap, either." Mitchie added, glaring at Shane.

"Okay then we are definitely taking you on our Summer Tour this year." Shane said, still a little shocked that practically their two biggest fans and supporters had never been to a concert.

"What?" Mitchie and I asked at the same time, looking at each other.

"We can't just go on Tour with you guys. That's like 4 months long." I said, though going on tour with them did sound really nice that would mean a whole summer away from my parents. And Nate had already robbed them of my Winter Vacation, and Mitchie hadn't even allowed me to live in my own house. A tour would not fly with them.

"Sure you can." Nate said, shrugging. "It's not that big of a deal. I can talk to your parents about it."

"Nate don't even. They would never let me. When would I see them? They don't even get to see me in the year, I can't take away summer as well."

"She has a point, bro." Shane said, frowning at Nate who looked disheartened.

"Well if Cait isn't going then I'm not going." Mitchie said, smiling at me. I was feeling a little depressed. The boys were kind of enough to take us on Tour with them and I couldn't even go. And now Mitchie wouldn't go because I wouldn't be there. Wow I really was a party pooper. I could tell that Nate wasn't too happy about the news either.

"What? No. Don't do that, Mitchie. If you want to go you should go." I said, sort of shaking my head at her so only she would see. She just smiled back, ignoring me.

"Nonsense. If you're not there then I don't wanna be there."

"You know I'm _right_ here?" Shane said, raising his arms a little. I laughed at them,

"Sorry, Shane. But it seems I'm more important than you are."

"I know!" Shane exclaimed, glaring at Mitchie, "You know I'll be there, right? I mean since it is my tour."

"_Our_ tour." Nate reminded him, rolling his eyes. Even though Shane gotten much better about the attitude thing since he had found Mitchie, he still sometimes got a little bit carried away with the whole fame thing. Though to the press he never showed it. Connect 3 were all kinda like brothers. Though now that I thought about it, we really hadn't seen Jason in a long time. I took the silence as an opportunity to bring it up.

"Hey you guys? I feel really bad. We like haven't seen Jason in ages. It's like we're all too busy doing our own thing. I mean don't you think he at least feels a little bit left out?" I asked, looking at Nate then at Shane and Mitchie. Mitchie seemed to agree with me.

"Yeah, Cait's right. And even when he is here I think we accidentally ignore him without even meaning to. We really need to start including him in more things I feel really bad about it now."

"Yeah but how are we supposed to include him? I mean even if we did invite him to hang out with us he would still be the odd one in the loop." Nate said, now rearranging himself so his head was in my lap. I happily began playing with his long curls.

Shane imitated Nate, also laying his head in Mitchie's lap who was sitting crisscross, now ready to play with Shane's hair.

"He needs a girlfriend." Shane announced, as a tiny light bulb went off in my head. He was so right! He really did need a girlfriend! That's why he was always so left out…he didn't have a girl with him to sort of link us all together to make us stronger.

"You are so right!" I squealed, as Mitchie joined me in happiness.

"Wait, but where are we going to find the girl?" Mitchie asked, looking at me then Nate. Nate shrugged,

"Don't look at me. I don't even know what kind of girl Jason needs." He said, looking at Shane. "Do you have any ideas?" He asked.

Shane wasn't very helpful either. "Not really. I think he might need a girl who's challenging though."

"But also someone who can deal with his sort of out-there-ness." I added in, just smiling at the thought of Jason having a girlfriend. Shane was right- he really did need one.

"But she has to get along with you and me, Cait, otherwise it would just be super awkward and weird all the time." Mitch pointed out, "Like we should be able to do this, hang out all 6 of us without it being awkward. So she can't be annoying."

"Definitely true." I said, nodding. She did need to fit in, and in order for that to happen then both Mitchie and I needed to agree on the girl. But where were we even going to find one? We were sure we wanted someone who was sort of on the inside of the music business, so that she wasn't completely unaware of how things went around here. She also needed to be extremely patient with the media as well as with Jason. And with all the drama that went on between all the couples. Wow, this was going to be very difficult.

"Wait a minute," Shane said, slowly sitting up from the position he was in before on the floor. He looked at Nate with a grin on his face. Nate looked confused, "Dude, opening night for our Album! That's the perfect spot to look for someone."

Nate's look of confusion quickly washed away, "I never thought I'd ever say this in my life because I'm generally the smart one but Shane, you're a genius! That's perfect!"

Mitchie and I looked at each other. Opening night for their new Album? That was a little ways away and since it was such a private event it probably meant Mitch and I wouldn't be invited. We both seemed to understand because we both looked down sadly.

I noticed Nate's face brighten even more, and I raised my head looking at him.

"Why do you have that look on your face?" I asked cautiously, "Whenever you have that look it means something bad is going to happen."

"Nope, not bad." He said, grinning, "Something amazing."

He also got up, and stood, grabbing Shane by the arm and pulling him into another room. Mitchie pouted, folding her arms across her chest and I joined her, also frustrated.

"What could they possibly be talking about?" She huffed angrily at the two boys who were whispering off in the corner.

"I don't know but I don't like it. Boys aren't supposed to have secrets." I said, annoyed.

"Hey! Secrets break friendships not make them!" Mitchie yelled at them, and I laughed. Shane yelled back at her.

"Good thing we're in a relationship then instead of a friendship!"

I heard Nate laughing and didn't think it was too funny anymore. Both Mitchie and I agreed that when they came back we would give them the silent treatment.

That lasted for all of about 5 minutes.

Much to my disappointment, over the next three weeks that we were back in school, neither Nate nor Shane had told us anything about what they had been whispering about before.

"Ugh, this is so like them." Mitchie said, thoroughly annoyed one day after school as we entered our bedroom and flopped onto our beds.

"I know. I almost want to stop talking to Nate just so he'll tell me." I groaned, closing my eyes briefly.

"Yeah like that would work." Mitch said sarcastically, as I sighed.

We then both got texts at the same time; we glanced over at each other before reading them.

"Wear the best dress you've got- we're going out on a date." I read out loud, really confused. It was a Thursday night; we weren't allowed to go out. Plus, why would he want to go on a date?

Mitchie read the same thing back to me. "I smell something fishy…" Mitchie said, looking at me. I nodded, also thinking about what it could possibly be. The first thing that had crossed my mind was that they were going to surprise us and take us out to the Opening Night Red Carpet party for the new Album, but they had said that they had already gone and it was for VIP's only. Whatever that meant.

So I guess he really did just want to take me out on a date? Ugh, I don't know. I'm really confused.

I saw Mitchie getting off the bed and walking over to her closet, just staring at it.

"What are you doing?" I asked her, following her to her closet and standing behind her.

"Finding a dress." She said, in that 'duh' sort of tone.

"It's Thursday night! You know we won't be able to go on a date on a school night." I said, also in a 'duh' tone to her, too.

"Yeah but if Shane's already texted me about it than that means that he's talked to my parents. Which means that they must have agreed to it. Which conveniently works out for you, because my parents are your parents as of right now." She said matter-of-factly. It took me a moment to register this, but after a second I got.

What she had tried to say was that because it was on such a sketchy day it meant that her parents had already agreed. Well, she could have just said it like that. Great, now I had to find a dress.

"I hate dresses." I whined, now going through my closet. I was still so much of a tomboy it wasn't even funny. A lot of the time I would dress up nice in front of Nate just because I was a little self-conscious about what he would think of me without my good clothes on. But sometimes when it was just Mitch and I and we were studying or reading outside, I would put on an old jersey that I had had since I was like 11, a pair of basketball shorts, a bandana and pigtails just because I could.

Nate had never seen me like that, though. And I was hoping he never would. Those were like my me clothes, clothes that I didn't want him to see me in no matter what. And so you could just imagine how ecstatic I was to have to wear a dress and most likely some high heels with it. Not.

After about 2 hours of searching and trying on things and checking each other out in the mirror, I finally settled on a bright green dress that had sequins on it. The weather had warmed up considerably, and even though it was a sleeveless dress I was sure that I would be fine wherever we went. I wore silver flip-flops with it, waved my hair, and wore some light make-up since apparently the natural look was in.

Mitchie agreed with me that a blue dress would look good on her. It fit her curves perfectly, and it was just classy enough that it made her look amazing. She wore a pair of high heels and also curled her hair, but made them munch more bouncy while mine were simply wavy. At 8:00 we were finally ready to go, but we hadn't heard anything from the boys.

"Should we text them or call or something?" I asked, biting my lip and looking at Mitchie, who was about to respond when we heard a honk from outside. We exchanged glances before running down the stairs as fast as we could in our dresses without messing up our hair.

Mitchie opened the door to see a long, black, sleek limo waiting for us with men holding the doors up for us. We stared at each other and squealed, before running off into the limo. We were disappointed though, when we saw that the boys weren't in there waiting for us.

"Well where are they?" I asked, pouting a little. I wanted Nate to see how I looked since I had spent so much time trying so hard to impress him and look nice.

"Maybe they're meeting us at the restaurant or something." Mitchie suggested, shrugging. It seemed like she really wasn't too worried about where her boyfriend was. Mitchie though was used to stuff like this because Shane liked to surprise her so much. Nate, on the other hand, probably couldn't pull of a surprise even if he tried extra hard to.

"Yeah, maybe." I said, sighing as the Limo took off and I got situated into our seat. The entire ride Mitchie had fun messing around with all the cool gadgets, while I simply stared out the window, still having no clue as to what was going on. I was surprised Mitchie wasn't aggravated or annoyed one bit. She actually seemed to be enjoying herself.

When the Limo stopped, I had been expecting to step out into a quiet dark street into a small Italian restaurant or something, so you can only imagine how surprised I was when I walked out to cameras flashing. I blinked I few times, totally confused.

"Oh my God! They didn't!" Mitchie squealed behind me, giggling excitedly.

"What?" I asked, still confused.

Mitchie rolled her eyes, "Caitlyn, this is opening night of their Album! They totally lied to us I mean look! It's the Red Carpet!!"

I didn't believe her at first, but what other explanation was there? There was indeed a red carpet beneath my feet, and paparazzi were taking as many photos of us as they could. I still don't think I would've believed it if I hadn't heard Nate and Shane somewhere off in front of me on a loud microphone.

"This live concert of our brand new Album 'Wasted Time' is dedicated to our girls, Mitchie and Caitlyn." Shane spoke first, causing Mitchie to gasp and tear up. I grinned at her, squeezing her hand. Then Nate spoke.

"When Caitlyn, my girlfriend, told me that she had never been to a Connect 3 concert, I knew that just wasn't right. So Shane and I came up with this way of surprising them, and giving them a mini-concert of their own."

"Plus I think they look cute all dressed up, don't you?" Shane asked, causing everyone to laugh.

Nate smiled, but looked directly at me, "I love you, Caitlyn." He said sincerely. Shane also professed his love for Mitchie, and through the entire concert Mitchie and I held each other, watching in amazement as the two best boys in the world sang all their songs for us.

Nate again surprised me, by singing 'Inseparable' at the very end. I was in tears when he had played the last chord on his Guitar. The crowd screamed happily as Shane and Nate jumped off the stage and locked eyes with us. A bunch of screaming girls tried to get in the way and ask for autographs, but Nate just pushed past them, not breaking eye contact with me.

By the time he had reached me I was pretty sure everyone was looking at either us or at Mitchie and Shane. I couldn't even get one word out before Nate's lips had locked on mine in a deep kiss. I smiled, melting into his arms as I could hear all the photographers clicking away their cameras for the best angle of us- but I didn't care. I was so wrapped up in the heat and emotion of the moment that I never wanted to pull away from him.

Nate had enough common sense though that he knew we couldn't be just making in out in front of everyone. It would be on the tabloids and on HotTunes first thing tomorrow morning if we kept it up any further. When we pulled away he still kept close to me, and I smiled, leaning my forehead on his.

"I love you." I whispered, giving him a tight hug.

After all the commotion had settled down, Nate and I found a quiet corner when we could softly talk and catch up on everything he had done for me.

"I still can't believe you did all this for us." I said softly, looking out at all the people who were either buying their new Album or dancing to their songs. The place looked incredible.

"It was mostly Shane's idea," He confessed, acting humble. I smiled at this and leaned into him, wrapping my arms around his waist. "But I'm glad you liked it."

"Liked it?" I asked, laughing. "I loved it. Seriously, you're amazing."

Nate dropped his voice and lowered his mouth to my ear so only I could hear him, "I don't think I told you how amazing _you_ look tonight."

There was a certain edge to his voice, that edge that I only ever noticed whenever we were alone or he was really desperate for some action. I blushed, but leaned up towards him, giving him a deep kiss. I thought we were in private, so I quickly deepened the kiss, my hormones taking over my common sense.

Luckily though, as usual, Nate snapped out of it and stopped me before it got too carried away.

"You have got to stop doing that." He moaned into my ear, pouting ever so slightly.

I laughed and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I can do so much worse than that." I whispered, causing him to groan. I grinned as he wrapped his arms around me, and we walked out of our little corner, ready to socialize.

I noticed that Shane and Mitchie were giving an interview to the press, so we didn't bother them.

"Hey where's Jase?" I asked, scanning the room.

Nate joined me in the search, "I don't know. He said he had someone to meet after the concert or something."

I raised my eyebrows excitedly, "Someone?" I asked, practically bouncing, "Does that mean she's like, girlfriend material?"

It was Nate's turn to laugh. Though I think he was laughing at me. "Girlfriend material? I doubt it, he probably just had to meet with his parents or something."

I frowned, unhappy that there wasn't possibly a girl for him. "Okay well still, we need a girlfriend for him. Like it's not even an option- he needs one."

"Well, this is the perfect place for you to go girl looking," Nate said, motioning around the room. "Just watch out for the fans though, having a huge fan around us all the time might get super annoying."

I whacked him in the arm and rolled my eyes, "Nate, those are _your_ annoying fans you're talking badly about."

He shrugged. "What they don't know won't hurt 'em." He said, giving me a quick kiss before going off and meeting up with Shane. Mitchie joined my side a few moments later.

"So, Nate said you needed me?" She said, looking at me then around the room.

"Yes." I said, "We need to scope the place for a girl." I said, as if we were on a secret mission or something.

"Oh! Goody!" Mitchie said, apparently more excited than I was. "He needs a girlfriend so bad."

"Ugh, I know. Okay, you scan around, and I'll try to find someone okay?"

"Sounds good."

We both split up to look around the room, both getting looks from our boyfriends. I made a face at Nate before looking around the room. After about 20 minutes I still had found no luck, and hadn't seen Jason anywhere either.

I was about to go find Mitchie when I saw that off of the side of the room there was a little station for Guitar Hero on the Wii, that I thought a familiar boy was playing. I walked towards it, asking, "Jason?"

Sure enough, the boy turned around to look at me, grinning. "Oh hey Cait! I'm just playing some Guitar Hero with Marleen here."

I looked at him strangely, before Marleen turned to look at me. Wow, she was gorgeous. She had on a black silk dress that was in sort of a V-neck shape, and had dirty blonde hair that was straightened almost perfectly. She had side bangs that accented the curve of her face incredibly, and she wasn't too skinny, or too big. She was the perfect size, and looked amazing.

I snapped out of it quickly though, and extended my hand to her to shake, "Hey. What's up? I'm Caitlyn."

We shook hands as Stephanie smiled at me, "Hey, I'm Marleen. You're Nate's girlfriend, right?"

I blushed slightly that someone like her knew who I was, but nodded. "Yep. And you're Jason's…?"

"Friend." She quickly said, smiling. "We met at Camp Rock when Connect 3 first met, I was sort of like their unofficial song editor."

"Woah that's so cool! Jason! I can't believe you never told us about her." I scolded Jason, who looked away sheepishly. So far I really liked this Marleen girl, she was pretty and smart, and apparently had kicked Jason's ass at Guitar Hero. Which was not something easy to do seeing as he had beaten the whole game in 1 day.

I was about to inquire more when Mitchie came up behind me.

"Mitch! Hey, this is Marleen, Jason's friend." I winked at Mitchie who quickly caught on, and grinned at Marleen, now beginning to make small talk and asking all the same questions I had asked.

As they were wrapping up the conversation, behind us I felt Nate's arms wrap around me.

"Hey." He said softly, kissing my neck. "Whatcha up to?"

I grinned. "Oh, we were just talking to-"

"Marleen." Shane finished for me, with almost a hint of dread in his voice. I noticed Nate's head snap up, and he stiffened, loosening his grasp around me.

"Marleen?" He asked, clearing his throat awkwardly. "What are you doing here?"

I looked from Marleen to Shane, then to Jason. They all seemed to be hiding something. I narrowed my eyes at the three boys but didn't say anything. I would ask them about it later.

"Well, your new Album was being released so I knew it wouldn't be right if I didn't show up. Plus I haven't seen you guys since…well…in a while. I haven't seen you guys in a really long time. I missed you three." She said sweetly, still smiling at us. I took note that Nate was still stiff. Shane seemed to be the same way.

"Okay what's going on?" I asked sharply, looking around at the three boys. Jason was silent, and Shane had a look of panic written all over his face. Nate just seemed confused like he didn't know what to do.

"Well, I mean, we met her before, at Camp Rock-" Nate was stuttering- which meant something bad had happened, or that he was really nervous.

"And?" I asked, prodding him for more information.

"And nothing." Nate finished quickly, "Nothing. We're just all friends that's all."

"Nate." Jason said quietly, looking down. "It's time I told them about her." He looked towards Marleen and smiled at her, "I'll catch up to you later, okay?"

She nodded, smiling at the two of us, "It was nice meeting you."

"You two." I said, smiling at her and waving before quickly turning and glaring at Jason. "Okay, what's going on?"

"Yeah. I'm confused." Mitchie said, also glaring at Jason.

He sighed, before beginning, "When we met at Camp Rock we sort of…had a thing."

"More like a big thing." Shane muttered. Mitchie whacked him while I glared.

"Okay, maybe it was a big thing." Jason admitted, continuing, "By the time Final Jam came around we were pretty much boyfriend and girlfriend. She helped me out with my songs; she was pretty much the inspiration for all of it. Which is why I completely understood when Shane had found you at Camp Rock. Because Marleen was my Mitchie. Well, one night we sort of got carried away…and one thing led to another…"

He didn't bother finishing the sentence and I totally understood. My jaw dropped, as did Mitchie's. He seemed pretty ashamed, but at this moment I didn't really care, I was more worried about what had happened after that between the two.

"Okay so then after that?" I prompted him, needing answers.

"Well I sort of freaked out, because I had made a promise to myself that I wouldn't…you know before marriage. But I had. So after that night I left Camp Rock and never spoke to her again."

"What?" Mitchie asked, terrified. "Why wouldn't you try to talk to her?"

"Yeah!" I agreed, "Why wouldn't you call her or something?"

"Because I was afraid of the way she made me feel." Jason admitted, looking away. "She made me lose all my morals once, without even meaning to. So what would happen if we were together for a really long time? I was afraid we would end up doing it again and I didn't want that. I mean what if I had gotten her…pregnant?"

I sighed, still trying to wrap my mind around all of this. So Jason wasn't a virgin…and was pretty head much head over heels in love with Marleen. But she had like, no clue.

"But Jase, that means you just left her standing there. I mean imagine how she felt after all of that. Didn't you at least say _something_ before you left?" Mitchie asked him.

He shook his head. "No. I couldn't even look at her. And now, after all these years…all those feelings are flooding back to me. And I don't know what to do."

I giggled a little, "Well, talking to her might be a start. If you like her so much, talk to her. You two are adults now, Jase you're almost 20. You guys can talk about this now."

Jason sighed, but nodded. "Yeah I guess you're right. I'll go talk to her."

"Good." I said, grinning. "And make sure you give us her phone number by the end of the night, okay?"

He smiled at me, "Promise." He said, before leaving to find Marleen.

I let out a breath I had been unaware that I was holding, as did Mitchie.

"Wow." We both said, raising our eyebrows.

"Yeah, it's kind of a lot to take in." Nate said, nodding.

"I just hope they can work it out. I really like Marleen."

Nate wrapped his arms around me, and sighed. "How bout you leave it up to the two of them? If they're meant to be they'll figure it out."

I nodded, agreeing with him. This night couldn't have gotten any crazier than it had.

--

Yay! Girlfriend for Jason! So, I don't know if it's believable or not, but I could see Jason not being a Virgin. Maybe it's because he's so much older than them, but I felt like beneath all the air-headedness, there was a real person who had gone through a lot, and that it was mostly just all a façade he put up to impress people.

So, let me know what you think of Marleen! I personally love her. :)


	14. Chapter 14

Hmmm, I love where the story is going right now, so I'm writing more. :) Mwuahaha. I'm actually addicted. I'm also watching Disturbia at the moment…lol random fact about Allison that you don't need to know: she loves watching movies. More than once, too.

I think I've seen She's the Man like at least 30 times. I have the entire dialogue memorized. :) Another random fact about Allison: she has no life. Baha.

Okay randomness tangent done…back to the story!

--

The next morning I had woken up more tired than usual. We had been out till about 2 in the morning talking with everyone, and Nate insisted that I stay with him so all the big shot intense men in suits wouldn't bore him. Coward, I know.

But see, he didn't have to get up at 6:30 the next morning. I, unfortunately, did. And Connie's rule was that if we were going to be out late partying with our rock star boyfriends, then we had to go to school the next day: no matter how tired we were.

By the time I had gotten dressed and arrived downstairs, I still wasn't out of my Zombie mode yet.

"Thank God today's Friday." I groaned, grabbing a piece of toast and lazily eating it as I sat at the kitchen table and let my head fall onto it, closing my eyes.

"Ditto." Mitchie moaned from behind me, also joining me at the table. It was quiet as we both just sat there, trying to get in a few more minutes of sleep before Connie said excitedly,

"Look, Connect 3's on HotTunes!"

Mitchie and I shot up at this, and what followed from the reporter's mouth made me want to go run and hide in my room for an eternity.

_Last night band members Shane Grey and Nate Presley surprised girlfriends Mitchie Torres and Caitlyn Gellar in their private concert, and an entrance into the Red Carpet grand opening for their new Album, Wasted Time. The Band had apparently sold over 1,500 copies of their CD's last night._

_But asides from their sales being red hot, Naitlyn seems to be on fire right now. After Nate sang Inseparable to girlfriend Caitlyn, it seems these two shared a more than passionate moment with each other. Check out these exclusive photos._

Yeah, and then as you could have guessed it…they showed Nate and I in an intense lip lock. And it looked like it quickly could have been more had we been in private. I groaned and let my head drop to the table, banging my head on it multiple times as Mitchie and Connie laughed at me.

"Oh shut up, Mitchie. All they did was show you and Shane gazing into each other's eyes. You don't have to deal with the whole world watching you and your boyfriend make out." I whined, dreading even showing my face at school now. Everyone was going to be talking about it I was sure.

"Aw, Sweetie, it's not that bad." Connie said soothingly, rubbing my back. Though I could tell she was trying hard not to laugh.

"Yeah, I mean I bet people didn't even watch HotTunes this morning." Mitchie added, though she too was grinning.

I threw some of my bread at her and glared. "You are so not helping." I said, "Ugh. This is horrible. Now everyone's going to be talking about it including Taylor. And it'll probably be in every magazine out there. I'm so stupid."

"It's really not that bad, Caitlyn." Mitchie said, switching off the TV. "I mean really, you two are in love, you guys are supposed to be kissing and stuff."

"Yeah but you and Shane are in love and you two weren't making out in front of everybody!" I protested, running my hands through my hair nervously.

Mitchie laughed. "That's because Shane is used to all the publicity, he knows better than to kiss me like Nate was kissing you, especially at such a big event like that."

I rolled my eyes, "Then why didn't you stop us?"

"How? Be like, 'Uhm Nate, Caitlyn, hate to break you two up but people are watching'? I don't think so. You knew where you were, you know they were going to take photos of you two."

I sighed, disappointed in myself. She was right. I had known that paparazzi were going to be there, and I had ignored it just because I was so into kissing my boyfriend. Ugh, my stupid boyfriend who was now probably going to be mad cause it was bad publicity for the both of us. Damnit.

Just then my phone began buzzing rapidly on the table. I sighed, but quickly snatched it up, seeing that I had just received 4 new texts. I read through each of them before replying.

The first was from Nate.

_Did you watch HotTunes this morning?/_

Second was from Shane.

_Haha. Way to go, Caity. I didn't know you had that in you!_

Third was from Jason.

_If you need any help with some rude reporters, call me. :)_

Awe, Jason was always so sweet. And the last was from Marleen, whom Jason had given me her number just this morning.

_Dang, girl! Even I'm impressed. ;) _

"Great." I said out loud, "Practically everyone knows." Mitchie frowned, as did Connie, and as we both stood up to head out the door I texted everyone back. First I replied to Shane just because he pissed me off the most.

_Jerk. _

That was all I had bothered to say to him. Haha. Next I texted Marleen,

_Haha, you're SO funny. So I'm guessing you saw it too?_

Then Jason, (can you tell I'm saving the worst for last?)

_Aw thanks hun. You're so sweet. :-) Is Nate really mad?_

And, the person I was dreading the most I now had to text. Nate. Oh the joy.

_Hey. Yeah, I did watch HotTunes this morning. I'm sorry. :-( _

Surprisingly, Nate was the first one to text me back.

_**Sorry? Babe, for what? I was just as much into that as you were. ; I'm just afraid you're gonna get some reporters at school…stay on the lookout, alright? And if any girls ask you anything, just ignore them 'cause you never know who could give out information to the press.**_

It kind of bothered me that, as usual, Nate was thinking about his reputation. But I guess it really did matter to him, and I was sure he had to deal with a bunch of really angry managers. And I bet Shane just found all of this amusing, which was probably adding on to even more of Nate's frustration.

_I will. :-) _I texted him back, _Can I see you today? So we can talk all of this out._

_**Sure. I'll pick you and Mitchie up after school. I'll bring Shane, too. **_

_Great. Love you. :-)_

_**Love you, too. :)**_

By the time I was done with my phone conversation, we had arrived at School. I stopped and stared at it for a while, before taking in a deep breath and heading into the building, with Mitchie close by my side.

The school day actually didn't go too bad. Well, that was a little bit of an understatement. My locker was covered in newspaper clippings of the two of us kissing. (Yeah, that hit a nerve.) After I took those down, though, I was relieved to find that nothing else had been put on or inside of my locker for the rest of the day.

Taylor was out of town for some Cruise or something with her family so luckily, nobody had the nerve to actually say anything to my face. It was awkward though, because people were either smirking when they saw me, or just plain out ignoring me. I was lucky I had Mitchie and Sierra by my side though. They never let me feel out of the loop for the whole day, which was something I was incredibly grateful for.

The bell finally rang, signaling the end of class, and I quickly stood up and practically ran out of the school. I wanted nothing more than to be in the comfort of my boyfriend's arms. Okay, so maybe that's a little dramatic but still, I knew that after the day I had had, he was the only one who could really cheer me up.

To my surprise though, when I had come outside I saw 4 people leaning against the limo instead of just Nate. Shane was next to him, winking at me every time I made eye contact with him. And Marleen and Jason were also there. I was happy to see that Jason had his arm around Marleen, which must have meant that they had made up- to a certain extent anyways.

I quickly hurried over to Nate, setting down my bags as he pulled me into a huge hug. Shane was smirking so I kicked him in the leg with my foot as I buried my face into Nate's chest.

I heard a muffled, "Ow." Come from him, but after that he stayed silent.

Nate held me for a moment, before he began asking questions.

"So how was school?" He said softly, kissing the side of my head.

I shrugged, still in his warm embrace. "Not too bad. Taylor wasn't at school Thank _God_, and the most I had to deal with was awkward looks and glares."

I heard Nate sigh. "I'm sorry." He said, pulling away a little bit. I shook my head.

"It wasn't your fault." I was about to lean up and give him a kiss when I heard Shane clear his throat,

"You guys already put on quite a show last night, how bout you save the love for inside your house?"

However mad I was at Shane, I knew he was right. The last thing I needed was for everyone at school to see us kissing live. Ugh.

"C'mon, let's go." Marleen said, stepping away from Nate and slinging an arm around my shoulder. "Let's have a huge sleepover tonight."

Shane was about to interrupt but Marleen held up her hand, "Don't get all excited, pretty boy. It's a girls sleepover only."

Shane frowned, and I found the perfect opportunity to diss him, "In that case, he _should _be invited."

"Ohhhh!" I heard everyone say, as they laughed. I began laughing too as Shane glared at me.

"Dude that had to hurt." Nate said, slapping Shane on his back. I made a face at Shane as we all piled into the limo.

After asking Connie if it was okay, we agreed that the boys would stay until midnight before they had to leave. Once we had all got into our bedroom, Marleen and I pushed Mitchie's and my beds out of the way to the way side of the wall, so we had the whole other ¾ of the room to ourselves. We laid out our sleeping bags on the floor, so that the heads of them were towards the center kind of like a star thing, before getting dressed.

The boys lazily flipped through magazines of themselves (so self-centered. Haha) on our beds while they waited. Once we were all changed and ready, we came out and settled onto our sleeping bags.

The boys sort of stared at us for a long time. We were all matching in some way or another. I was in a pair of yellow Paul Frank pajama bottoms that had monkey faces all over them, with a white tank top. Mitchie was in a dark blue tank top, with light blue pajama bottoms with guitars all over them. I noticed that Shane couldn't take his eyes off of her. Marleen was in a pink tank top, with light pink pajama bottoms that had yellow cupcakes all over them. Jason was looking at her in a similar way Shane was looking at Mitchie.

Mitchie, Marleen and I all sort of looked at each other before Marleen said, "Should we go change?"

All the boys snapped out of their trance and blushed- even Shane.

"No, no. No need, we're fine." Shane said quickly, as both boys nodded in agreement. I raised my eyebrows at them but shrugged.

They then joined us on the floor, each boy with their girl, touching them in one form or another. Jason and Marleen were laying on their tummies, holding hands, while Mitchie and Shane were awkwardly sort of lying on each other in some strange way. Nate was sitting crisscross, and I was sitting in his lap, leaning against him.

We had a bunch of food in the middle, perfect for what we were doing. There was popcorn, chocolate bars, ice cream, chocolate syrup, and like anything you could possibly ask for. Including sodas.

"Okay," Marleen began loudly, "So I want to know about Caitlyn and Nate first. How did you two hook-up?'"

I grinned. "Well, we texted for like, two days. And then Nate flew over to my house and begged my parents to let me move to Mitchie's place. They listened, surprisingly. Then he gave me this bracelet and asked me to go out with him. I said yes." I laughed, showing Marleen the bracelet Nate had given me.

"Aw." She said, smiling at me, before turning to look at Mitchie and Shane, who were arguing over something, "Uh, love birds?" She asked, snapping a few times.

Mitchie and Shane looked over at us, "What?" They both asked.

"What are you guys doing?" Marleen asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Nothing." Shane said, as Mitchie glared at him.

"Shane's being a jerk." She said, shoving him away from her.

"What? How am I being a jerk? I just told you I loved you more than you loved me."

Marleen, Nate and I groaned. The whole 'I love you more' thing was so 4 months ago.

"Shane, grow up." Marleen said, as he glared at her. It was strange; Marleen had a way of taking the upper hand with Shane. She had some weird sort of control over him, and they always had arguments over stuff that didn't even matter. She actually was a complete bitch to him, but it was funny to watch. And they both knew that inside they were practically best friends. They just liked to give each other a hard time.

"Anyways," Marleen plowed on, overriding whatever Shane was going to retort back to her, "And you two met at Camp Rock, right?"

Mitch nodded, "Yep. Been dating ever since."

"Ah, so you're the 'girl with the voice'?" She teased, winking at Shane who scowled.

"I am the girl with the voice." Mitchie said, laughing.

Nate was beginning to play with my hair and I hummed appreciatively, closing my eyes for a brief moment. Marleen wouldn't let me stay in the peaceful period for too long, though.

"Woah, woah. What do you think you're doing? It's not even midnight yet- no sleeping!"

I opened my eyes and stuck my tongue out at her. "Fine." I said, sitting up a little but still staying close to Nate. "So how did you guys finally get together?" I asked, nodding my head towards her and Jason.

Shane piped up, too, "Yeah, I want to hear this story."

"Well, Jason and I talked about it, and we decided we would take things slow this time. No rushing into anything."

Jason nodded, "Yeah. Really make sure that this is what we want and stuff."

I smiled at the two of them, "Well, if it's any help, I think you're adorable together."

"Thanks." Marleen said, smiling back at me.

Once our conversation ended, it was time the boys left. I gave a quick kiss to Nate, before seeing him off. Then it was just girls, and we all settled back once again into our sleeping bags. We had discussed almost everything in front of the boys since we really didn't have any secrets around them, but I still wanted to know more about the Marleen/Jason relationship. I felt like they really hadn't talked about it very much.

"So I want details, Mar! You never really told us…I mean like, what happened? How'd you guys really fix everything? And that too, in one day?" I asked her, cuddling up with the stuffed kitty Nate had given me on New Years. (I had conveniently named her Bella.)

"Well, we had a really long discussion. I'm talking about a 3-hour conversation. We talked about what had happened at Camp Rock, that it was a mistake and that neither of us was ready to do what we had done. We agreed that we both still really liked each other and were ready to try a real relationship this time." She shrugged, "It was nice and it was something we had both really needed. When he had just left I had never gotten any closure. Now I feel like we're able to patch up our relationship. It's really comforting."

I smiled at her happily. The moment I had met Marleen I knew that she was the only person in the world I would ever be happy seeing Jason with. Whenever she was in the room I noticed Jason's whole face light up, and even though some girls might think it annoying that a boy was so whipped for a girl, Jason practically worshipped the ground Marleen walked on. But it wasn't annoying or childish, it was actually really cute. And I could tell that all 6 of us were going to become even closer now.

Also, I had noticed that Marleen was kind of becoming the glue between all of the couples. She was older than us, so that really helped. And it just seemed like she was really wise and knew what she was talking about, and what she was doing whereas Mitch and I were just sort of diving into this love thing headfirst. Mar had some really good tips and advice on what to do when it came to dealing with boys. And it was really nice; because now we both had someone we could go to.

"That's really great, Marleen. I'm so happy for the two of you, you guys are so cute together. Really."

She kept smiling as she settled into her sleeping bag, "We should get some sleep, huh? It's almost 2. And I think Mitchie's fast asleep already."

We both peeked over at Mitchie and sure enough she was already fast asleep without even bothering to climb into her sleeping bag. We giggled softly, before too, going to sleep.

"Night Mar." I said, closing my eyes.

"Night Cait." She replied, I figured also getting ready to sleep.

--

Short I knowww! But I wanted you guys to have something before I left. See, tomorrow the fam and I are going to the Beach. And won't be back for a few days so I probably won't be able to update till late this week. Like at least Thursday- maybe.

So leave me lots of love! That way when I get back I can read all the nice reviews and get excited to write more. :) Xoxo.


	15. Chapter 15

I'm back from the beach! :) I had such an amazing time. I went with my two besties, and we had a blasty-blast. Lol. They also helped me scheme and plan the entire about next 6 Chapters worth of this story. So if you end up loving the story even more, make sure you nod your heads to them, because we sat for seriously about 5 or 6 hours just working out the entire plot and making sure everything made sense.

WARNING: An intense drama sequence is about to ensue. Including a very dramatic and huge shocking twist to the story. Brace yourselves.

--

Junior year was having a lot of fun by throwing both too much homework and a huge research paper our way all within the course of 2 months. Since Mitchie and I had come back from Winter Break, we were swamped with work.

After that sleepover, we hadn't gotten any time to hang around with each other again, and even if we did see all 6 of each other it was usually for a very short period of time, like for about an hour or so. Nate and I kept in touch through phone calls and text messages, but even then I could tell that something was a little off with our relationship.

But, I was happy to hear, that we had Spring Break right around the corner, and apparently, according to Shane, the 6 of us would all be staying at a Beach House for the entire week. 3 bedrooms, individual bathrooms, and 2 floors to space all of us out between. And the house sits right on the water. I was going to take this opportunity to really sit down and spend some quality time with Nate, since lately he had seemed a little distant, and I really hadn't been able to spend that much time with him. I wanted to patch up some of our problems, and also get a chance to chill with Marleen. Since she was officially pretty much a member of the 'clan' now. Ha.

We were going to leave on Friday night, taking two cars. Jason and Marleen were going in Jason's Mercedes, and Shane, Mitchie, Nate and I were going in his Dad's SUV.

"I'm so excited!" I squealed, after we had all piled into the car. Shane and Mitchie laughed at me, while Nate just stared out the window.

We had finally gotten everything jammed into the trunk of both cars, and had been driving for about 45 minutes. The beach wasn't too far away from us, about an hour and a half or so, but it still made me antsy.

"Caitlyn will you calm down?" Nate complained, after I had suggested for the about billionth time that we play a game. There weren't very many games you could play while in a moving car…

"Sorry." I mumbled sheepishly, deciding that instead of whining I should just pull out my Ipod and listen to it silently. Shane glanced at me in the mirror with an amused look on his face. I stuck my tongue out at him before focusing on the little screen I held in my hands.

The Ipod idea worked for about 20 minutes. I could Nate was getting highly annoyed, so I focused my attention on him instead of Mitchie and Shane.

"Hey…" I said softly, touching his hand, "You okay?"

Nate glanced at me, and then took his hand away from mine, setting it in his lap and staring back out the window. "I'm fine." Was all he said, not making eye contact with me.

I sighed and slumped back into my seat, also beginning to feel annoyed. Why was Nate being an ass now? Of all the times to be in a bad mood, and he picked the week that I had really wanted to get closer to him. Yeah, right.

After another 20 minutes, we were finally there. I grinned in excitement as I jumped out of the car, all the while Shane laughing at me and Nate rolling his eyes. I ignored him yet again, and closed my eyes, inhaling the amazing smell of the salt water. I then turned to my right and saw the house that we were staying at. It was huge.

"Wow," I breathed, widening my eyes at the sight of it.

"Wait till you see the inside." Shane winked at me, before grabbing all of our suitcases out of the trunk and clearing out the car. Nate was still sort of pouting off to the side to himself. I decided that after we had gotten situated I would take him for a long walk on the beach so we could talk everything out, and I could ask him what was bothering him.

In the mean time, I was going to enjoy as much as I could. (Insert evil grin here) Shane wasn't joking when he said that I would be even more amazed by the inside. It had a huge kitchen, and the fridge was stocked with all our needs, including the perfect ingredients for some fireside S'mores.

There were also huge cabinets that were filled with about every board game known to man. I was so stoked to play every single game that there was. Nate walked straight to our room, seeming unimpressed since he had already been to the place multiple times. Shane however, was bright and happy, as was Jason.

"I always forget how great it is here till we come back." Jason said, sighing as he looked out on the water. Marleen also stood next to him, watching the waves roll in.

"It's beautiful," Mitchie agreed, leaning into Shane as he wrapped an arm around her, both couples staring out into the ocean. I smiled, happy for my friends and that they were all enjoying themselves. I could just feel that this entire trip was going to be amazing, and that we really all needed it.

Since Mitchie was about as talented as her mom in the kitchen, she began cooking us some hot dogs while Nate took a shower, and Jason and Marleen started a puzzle in the living room. Shane was outside on the deck enjoying the view, so I figured I might as well join him.

"It's so nice out," I commented, smiling at him when he turned around and grinned.

"It really is." Shane said, looking out at the ocean again.

I walked towards his side as he loosely slung an arm around my shoulders. He grinned at me and I grinned evenly back. Since Mitchie and Shane had become closer, I had also become closer with Shane. We were about as close as brother and sister now, and I told him practically everything. He also confided in me whenever Mitch and him were having problems. I really felt like asides from Jason I had found a close friend in Shane- which I enjoyed because I wanted all of us to be really good friends.

"I never thanked you." Shane suddenly said, snapping me out of my daydreaming.

"For what?" I asked confused, peering up at him.

"For being there for me when I had no one else to lean on."

I shook my head, "Don't mention it. I would do anything to keep you and Mitchie running strong."

He grinned at me. "I love you, Cait."

At the mention of those three words I stopped, and frowned a little, "He hasn't said that to me in so long."

"Who hasn't?" Shane asked, looking at me carefully,

"Nate." I said softly, sort of feeling crushed just thinking about it.

"Nate hasn't said he loved you in a while?" He asked, piecing things together.

"Yeah…I'm guessing the last time he said was about a week ago."

"Damn." Shane said.

We broth pondered silently for a long moment, before we heard Mitchie yell from the kitchen.

"Lunch is ready!" She screamed, signaling for all of us to gather at the table. I quickly rushed in, trying to help with everything I could. I set up the table and put out silverware for everyone, and also pulled out glasses and some juice, hardly noticing the glares I was receiving from Marleen.

When I had come out with my plate of food, I noticed Nate was sitting next to Marleen and Jason, leaving me to sit beside Mitchie, not even remotely close to Nate. I frowned, but sat down anyway, figuring he'd talk to me later about it in private.

Lunch went by a little awkwardly, but mostly it was Jason, Mitchie, Shane and I who were cracking all the jokes and having a good time. Marleen just seemed furious, while Nate stared at his food picking at it, seeming extremely sad- maybe even depressed.

I sighed, not liking seeing him like that, and was determined to talk to him after lunch.

"Hey, Nate," I called to him, once he had disappeared into our bedroom, "Want to go on a walk with me?" I asked, smiling as he sort of stared at the floor.

"Oh. Well I was already going to go with Marleen…"

"Great!" I said happily, "We could all go together! I'll go get Shane and-"

"Actually," Marleen said from behind me, cutting me off. "Nate and I kind of have something _private_ to talk about."

I furrowed my brow, but shrugged, not wanting to get in the way in case Nate needed someone to vent to so that he wouldn't be as gloomy as he was now. "Okay." I said, a little disappointed, "I'll just go play a game or something with Mitchie…Love you, Nate."

I quickly left the room, feeling that the situation was awkward enough, and found Mitchie and Shane messing around in the living room playing Connect 4. I grinned and joined them at the table, Jason also following me and sitting beside me. I saw from my peripheral vision Nate and Marleen leaving to go to the beach and I sighed unhappily, staring at the table.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked me, as Mitchie and Shane both glanced at me worriedly.

"Nothing…well, I guess it isn't nothing. Nate and I are drifting- big time. He hasn't even spoken to me this whole trip."

"Aw, that isn't true." Shane said, shaking his head. Jason agreed with him,

"Yeah, he's talked to you plenty of times."

"Okay." I said, "Like when? Like at the lunch table when he totally didn't even sit next to me?" Both boys were silent, "And then when I asked him to go on a walk with me he seemed really nervous and just like went off with Marleen. I mean I don't want to be putting Marleen into a bad light here, but she was kinda rude."

All three of them sighed, before Mitchie spoke, "Maybe he's just going through a phase or something, and needs some space."

"Yeah," Shane agreed, "Sometimes boys do that, they just grow apart for a little while but in the end they always come running back." He winked at Mitchie who rolled her eyes.

"I don't think you should think about it too much, Cait. I'm sure he just needs to clear his head or something." She said, before resuming her game with Shane.

I sighed, taking their sides into account. It was true; Nate had drifted like this before. But I don't know why I just felt like this time was different. Almost like something was really on his mind, or that something had happened that was making him really upset. Not only had he not said 'I love you' in a very long time, but he also hadn't said it back to me when I had. And I wanted to find out what it was so that I could help him but I couldn't because he wouldn't sit down and talk to me. Boys. Sigh.

Marleen and Nate didn't come back till about when the sun was setting. When he walked in the door he didn't seem much better; just a little more determined. What he was determined to do, I had no idea.

"Did you guys have fun?" I asked, smiling up at him. Nate pretended like he hadn't heard me and I saw Marleen roll her eyes.

I glanced towards Mitchie, Jason, and Shane who all had the same confused expression on their faces. Shane shrugged at me, but I figured I would just go with the flow and act like nothing was wrong. Even though something was hugely wrong. I didn't want to get into a huge blowout argument with him in front of everyone, so I just saved it for later.

Dinner was even more awkward than lunch, because by now everyone knew what was up. It seemed like people were sort of siding against Shane and I, almost. Except Mitchie was completely clueless as to what was going on. I was in the same boat as her. Marleen seemed to be strutting around like she owned the place, and was constantly at Nate's side, and after she had pulled Jason off to the side to tell him something, he too was looking at Shane and I weird.

"Okay." I said, finally having enough with all the glares and awkward tension. "What is going on?" I asked, looking at all three of them.

Nate stared down at his food, mumbling, "You tell me."

"Excuse me?" I asked sharply, eyeing him. Why would I know what was going on in this whole mess? All I knew was that Jason, Marleen, and Nate were all giving me attitude.

"Nothing." Marleen said, deciding to end the argument there. "Let's go play a game."

I rolled my eyes but stood up, clearing off my plate in the sink as we all settled onto the floor. I could feel that the game Marleen had in mind probably wasn't going to be a very good one, I sighed, in anticipation of what was to come.

"Truth or Dare." Marleen declared. Mitchie and I groaned while Shane Hoorayed. There was a beer bottle in the middle, and Marleen spun it first. It made me nervous that the bottle was full.

It landed on Jason. "Truth or Dare?" Marleen asked sweetly, smiling at him with loving eyes. Jason thought for a moment.

"Truth."

"Okay…ummm…" Marleen thought for a long moment, "What's your most embarrassing moment on stage?"

Shane immediately started laughing- I assumed he knew Jason's worst moment on stage. Jason glared at him,

"I did a bunch of spins on the stage and totally biffed it- rammed right into my guitar amp."

I joined Shane in laughter, as did Mitchie and Marleen as I could just picture Jason doing that.

"That is so hilarious!" I said through my giggles, quieting down at once after I got a look from Jason.

It was Jason's turn to spin. It landed on Nate.

"Truth or Dare?" He asked, staring at Nate.

"Truth." Nate said quietly.

"How much do you love Caitlyn?"

My heartbeat picked up, racing loudly in my chest as I awaited his answer.

"Enough that I would never do anything to hurt her." He looked straight at me when he said this, and I felt my body turn hot. Was he suggesting something? I got other looks from both Jason and Marleen, before Nate spun the bottle. And etc, etc, the game went as such.

We were doing fine for a while until the game changed from truth to dares. And boy, was Marleen feeling daring. Her and Shane had been at each other's throats the entire night, trying to think of the most creative (and in my mind, stupidest) dares they could come up with. To me though, Marleen broke my patience when she dared Shane to take a full jug of the beer bottle. I was going to protest, but of course, Shane never backed down for a dare and quickly took more than just a gulp of beer.

Mitchie looked shocked, and clearly so was I. Jason wasn't even caring though, which I thought was bull. I stood up, once Shane had dared Marleen to take a chug, and Mitchie followed, looking extremely pissed off.

"Where you going, baby?" Shane asked, slightly slurred from being intoxicated. Mitchie rolled her eyes, looking extremely disappointed, but the other three didn't bother to ask where I was going.

I sighed, as Mitchie and I walked towards the beach, determined to get away from the others. Mitch looked like she was ready to cry.

"Since when does he drink alcohol?" She asked, enraged. I sighed,

"I don't think he does it on a regular basis, Mitch. Marleen dared him, and she's been getting on his nerves lately. I'm sure he just did it to shut her up."

"Yeah but still…he doesn't drink. And what if it becomes a habit?" I could see where her thoughts were going and quickly put a halt to them before she got carried away.

"Mitchie, Shane's not going to become an alcohol addict. He just did it that one time, I can assure you he's not going to be bringing beer home."

Mitchie sighed, but nodded, "You're right. You know sometimes I feel like you know him better than I do."

I shook my head, "I don't. I just know him in a different light. You see him as your love interest; I look up to him as an older brother. Big difference."

"Yeah but he still tells you everything." She whined, and it almost sounded like she was complaining.

"Mitch, what's wrong? You've always loved how close Shane and I are."

"Yeah…I just. Ugh, it's stupid. Whatever. I'm just over thinking things because of the whole alcohol thing. Maybe I should go and talk to him, he seemed like he really cared that I was upset."

I nodded, "That sounds like a good plan. Want me to come with?"

"Yes, please." She said, smiling at me.

I smiled back at her as we both began walking up to the door. Mitchie and I were both laughing about Jason's embarrassing moment as we walked through the door, and I swear, the scene that I set my eyes upon, made my entire body go numb with hurt.

Marleen and Nate were kissing.

And what was even more to my surprise was that Jason didn't even care. Mitchie was silent as her jaw dropped, and Shane just looked really confused. When Nate pulled away and looked at me, his eyes widened, but there was also a certain smug look on his face. I didn't even notice the tears that were now streaming rapidly down my face as I took turns looking between Nate and Marleen, picking whom to blame. But I had no one to blame, except for myself. And Nate.

I felt the bracelet Nate had given me jingle against my wrist and with my other hand, I took it off, holding it in the palm of my hand for a moment, before throwing it at Nate's chest.

"We're done." I said with clarity, though my body was shaking from rage, hurt, and disappointment. I turned on my heel and sprang out of the house, only hearing a muffled,

"Fuck! Dude, what did you do that for?" From Shane, before hearing him run out after me. I was numb with grief, and couldn't understand why he would do something like that.

He had been my world, my heart, my everything. But I was done now. And I wanted nothing to do with him.

--

YOUCH! Yeah, bet you guys didn't see that one coming! Dun dun dun! And there is SO much more drama to come you don't even know. Ha, I love this.


	16. Chapter 16

More drama, anyone? :) I think soo. Ha. Thank you for all your reviews! And kudos to those of you who were able to figure out where Nate was going with all this. ;) I must also give you guys another warning for this chapter- the majority of it is Nate and Caitlyn screaming at each other.

And no, nothing gets resolved at the end of it.

--

My entire world had gone from almost amazing to totally crushed within about 45 seconds. One minute I was happily on my way to helping Mitchie resolve the Shane drinking issue, and the next I was pouring tears and running to the beach, where it was drizzling a little so no one would really be able to tell if I was crying. Shane was following me, though. And he must not have been too drunk because he was keeping up with me pretty well.

"Caitlyn! Caitlyn, wait up!" Shane called out to me, grabbing a hold of my arm to make me stop running.

I did stop, but I didn't turn to face him. I didn't want to have to deal with a ¼ drunk Shane while sobbing hysterically. It just wasn't really one of my top things to do on my priority list.

He paused, taking in deep breaths before sucking in a huge one and I guessed he was about to defend Nate.

"If you're going to defend him, I don't want to hear about it." I snapped. Even through my tears I was able to keep a controlled voice. And though I was hurt beyond repair, I was a little surprised that I was more pissed off and angry than sad.

"I wasn't going to," Shane began, shaking his head, "I just came to give you comfort, make sure you didn't do anything stupid."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not suicidal, Shane. I'm not going to do anything stupid. I just need to be alone for a little while to organize all my thoughts."

"You might not be alone for very long." Shane said, nodding his head. I could see Nate also rushing down to me. I rolled my eyes, feeling sick to my stomach. I didn't want to have to deal with him right now, and I guess the look on my face was very apparent because Shane quickly said, "Do you want me to get rid of him?"

I shook my head- I would rather just get the drama all over with now than drag it out the whole week while we were here.

"If you need anything afterwards- you'll know where to find me." He said softly, giving me a tight hug before walking off. I could tell he mumbled something rude because Nate glared at him.

"There's nothing you can say to change my mind, Nate." I said, skipping over the awkward silence nonsense. I had a lot I needed to yell at him about. "And how could you do that to me? Let alone with _Marleen_? I mean come on, Nate!"

"Look it's not what you think-" Nate began. I cut him off.

"Yeah? Then what is it? 'Cause to me it looked a lot like you were kissing Marleen. And last time I checked, my eye sight was perfectly fine."

"I was kissing her, but it's not for the reasons that you're thinking."

"You don't know what the hell I am thinking! You don't know anything about me, at all."

"I know a lot more than you think I do."

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

"I know you've been cheating on me with Shane."

I froze. He thought I was cheating on him with Shane? This just got me even angrier. "WHAT?" I roared, "You think I'm cheating on you with Shane?"

"I don't think I know!" He defended, also looking angry.

"How?"

"Uhm, on HotTunes it said so, and I heard your little heart warming conversation on the deck."

"Did you even bother to hear the rest of the conversation on the deck?" Nate looked sheepish, "I'm guessing that's a no. Yeah well if you would have LISTENED you might have heard me say that I loved YOU, Nate, a lot, and that he only meant it in a brotherly way. God, Nate, I can't believe you would even think that! Do you have any trust in me at all?"

"Caitlyn…" He began weakly,

"No! Don't 'Caitlyn' me. All you ever do is blame me for everything. You have zero trust in me. You always do that. You always believe in everything you hear and you never even talk to me about it."

"How could I talk to you about it?! You were with Shane this whole trip!"

"That's bullshit! I asked you to go on a walk with me and instead you went with Marleen! By the way, do I need to be worried about something there? Because last I checked Marleen was dating Jason."

"Well I didn't want to talk to you! Not after what I thought-"

"Yeah but you THOUGHT wrong. All because you wouldn't just freaking talk to me. This is has always been a problem with you! Even after you said you'd try to change you didn't."

"I'M NOT GOING TO CHANGE FOR YOU, CAITLYN." Nate roared, apparently also very pissed off. What did he have to be pissed off about?

"WELL THEN WHO ARE YOU GOING TO CHANGE FOR?" I yelled back, shoving him a little.

"NOBODY! I DON'T NEED TO CHANGE FOR ANYONE 'CAUSE I'M ME!"

"WELL DO YOU LIKE WHO YOU ARE RIGHT NOW? HUH? KISSING SOMEONE ASIDES FROM YOUR GIRLFRIEND AND DRINKING TOO, I'M ASUMING." I shoved him again, he just seemed to be absorbing it all in. "YOU NEVER TELL ME ANYTHING! DO YOU KNOW IT'S BEEN 1 FULL WEEK SINCE YOU'VE TOLD ME YOU LOVED ME? SHANE TELLS MITCHIE ALMOST EVERY SINGLE DAY HOW MUCH HE LOVES HER!"

"UGH! AGAIN WITH THE SHANE THING! WHEN WILL YOU GET THAT I'M NOT HIM? SEE THIS IS WHY I THOUGHT SOMETHING WAS GOING ON WITH YOU TWO. BECAUSE YOU ADORE HIM LIKE HE'S YOUR BOYFRIEND!"

"I DON'T ADORE HIM. I JUST WISH YOU WOULD LOOK UP TO HIM LIKE YOU USED TO! YOU GUYS USED TO BE LIKE BROTHERS AND NOW LOOK AT THE THREE OF YOU! YOU'RE OFF KISSING EACH OTHER'S GILFRIENDS AND BLAMING THEM FOR SHIT THEY DIDN'T DO!"

"WHY ARE YOU DEFENDING HIM?"

"BECAUSE HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!"

Nate sighed, running his hands over his face and through his hair. I glared at him, seething with anger. I couldn't believe that he could even think that I was cheating on him with Shane. Ah, that brought me to the next thing I wanted to yell at him about.

"So can I just take a wild guess, here? You kissed Marleen, knowing I would come back so that you would make me jealous, right? So that I would get pissed and you would let me know how much it hurt to see you with someone else? Because you thought I was dating Shane. Am I right?"

He nodded curtly. I rolled my eyes. "This just keeps getting better and better." I said, so mad I couldn't even think straight. "Who are you, Nate? I mean who are you,_ really_? Underneath that entire rock star shit I hope you understand that you made a huge mistake here. One that I can never forgive."

"Who said I wanted your forgiveness?" Nate said, causing me to stop short of my rant. "You think the whole world revolves around you but it doesn't."

"So you don't want my forgiveness? You don't want me anymore? Is that what you're saying?"

"No, Caitlyn, I didn't mean that-" He began approaching me but I shook my head, my eyes shrouded by tears as I shoved him away again as my hands came into contact with his chest.

"I can't believe I fell for everything. The bracelet, the song, you staying by me after my grandfather died…what exactly did you ever really want from me? Tell me, if Shane had loved me in that way, would you have even fought for me?"

Nate was silent, with his head bowed.

"You've never fought for me. You've never fought for anything in your life. You're so weak, Nate. You can't even fight for the girl you love. I mean I bet you didn't even come down here to talk to me with intentions of getting back together with me. You just came down to yell at me, and make me feel like shit. Well congratulations, Nate, you got me. I feel lower than the ground you walk on- I really hope you're happy."

I began to walk off, but Nate was quick in grabbing my wrist.

"Caitlyn, that's not what I meant. Or what I want. I love you, I want nothing more than to be with you."

"I can't be with you if you can't trust me, Nate! What don't you understand about that? How could you even think that, though? I mean…do you really think I don't love you?"

"No…of course not. But it was on HotTunes, and they're usually so reliable-"

"Whether it was on HotTunes or in a magazine what difference does it make?! Can't you see that I love you? I sang for you, I wrote a song for you. How could you believe them over me?" I wasn't experiencing anger any more- I was just hurt now. Very deeply hurt and so sad I couldn't even begin to describe.

"I just…I've never been in a relationship like this before and I wasn't thinking."

"No, you're right, you didn't think, but Nate I can't do this. If you don't trust me then we can't have a relationship. And I honestly don't know if I can trust you now, after what you did with Marleen. That was so uncalled for…and just…I don't even know what else it was. But I can't do this Nate, I just can't."

I pulled my wrist away from him and ran as fast as I could through the sand. Nate didn't bother to run after me and for that I was grateful. I didn't want to go back and face Marleen, Jason, and Mitchie yet so I simply paced around the house, making sure that when Nate came back I wouldn't have to face him. He didn't though, so when I was sure that everyone inside was asleep, I slipped into the house by the back door, quietly shutting the door behind me so no one would wake up.

When I got into my room I realized that I was setting myself up for disaster. Nate and I had been set up to share a bedroom. Which in any other scenario would have been perfectly fine by me, now I wasn't so sure. I figured I would shove him on the floor since he was the one who had pissed me off so bad.

I threw a pillow down and a blanket for him, before curling up into a ball on the bed. I couldn't believe that all of this had happened, and I had no one to talk to. I didn't even have Mitchie, since she probably by now knew the entire story between Shane and I and what had been on HotTunes. But I figured that since the two of them were still in the same room that Shane had eased her worries and knew the truth: that there was nothing going on between Shane and I.

At this point I actually really wanted to talk to Candace. Asides from Shane she probably was the only other person who understood Nate the best. I quickly grabbed my phone, dialing her number. Candace answered the phone on the last ring groggily.

"-Lo?" She asked.

"Candace?" I whispered, completely unaware that I had been crying till now.

"Caitlyn? What's wrong?" She asked worriedly.

"Nate and I…"

"What? Nate and you what?" She sounded panicked now.

"We broke up." I said weakly, breaking down on the phone. I heard Candace gasp and for some reason it only made me cry harder.

"Wait, Caitlyn, calm down. You guys are all at the beach, right?"

I nodded my head, "Yeah."

"Where's Nate?"

"I don't know." I mumbled, wiping at my eyes, "We had this huge argument at the beach and I took off crying, and I don't think he followed me but he hasn't come back yet. And we have to share a room together and I just don't know what to do…"

"He didn't follow you?" She asked, outraged. I shook my head and she must have understood that I had meant no. "Asshole." She mumbled, and I could almost picture her rolling her eyes. "Wait what started the fight?"

I sighed, "He thought I was cheating on him."

"With who??" She asked, completely bewildered.

"With Shane." I squeaked, wanting to cry again. I had just lost the boy of my dreams, and even though it hurt so much I knew I could never take him back. Ever. He didn't trust me, and I couldn't trust him either. Not after what I had seen him do with Marleen…that was just embedded in my brain.

"SHANE?!" Marleen asked, apparently as shocked as I was. "What the hell is Nate _smoking_? Why would you cheat on him let alone with Shane? I mean yeah he's hot and pretty good looking…but still! Does he think you don't love him at all?"

"I don't know," I said honestly, taking deep breaths to try to calm myself, "But he might be coming back soon so I should probably go."

"Okay. But keep me updated, all right? And I'll talk to Nate. That stupid, worthless-"

"Candace," I said tiredly, not wanting to hear her accuse Nate as pissed as I was at him.

"Sorry. But keep in touch okay? I want to make sure you're doing all right."

"Okay I will."

"Love you, T."

I smiled slightly at the nickname "Love you too C." I hung up the phone and curled into a ball again, crying myself to sleep.

The next morning was something that even the word 'awkward' couldn't have covered.

When I had woken up after tossing and turning pretty much all night, Nate wasn't there. I had figured he had probably slept on the couch in the living room or something. I didn't care, though. Even if I did I was just going to pretend like I didn't because I didn't want him to think I was hurting for him. Even though I was- so badly. I groaned and got out of bed, walking zombie-like to my bathroom. When I saw myself in the mirror I wanted to cry again because of how terrible I looked. I wiped at my eyes and took in a few deep breaths, before pulling my hair up into a messy ponytail. I pulled on an old sweatshirt over my tank top and rubbed my eyes before heading into the kitchen.

I guess I had been the last one to wake up because when I got in there everyone was talking and ha, of course, the only seat not taken was the one across from Nate. I rolled my eyes but fell into the seat anyway, looking everywhere except for the guy sitting across from me.

I grinned at Shane, who had a worried look on his face, as did Mitchie when I smiled at her. Marleen and Jason ignored me, but I was used to it by now so I also ignored them, helping myself to some scrambled eggs, toast, and some Hot Chocolate.

"Hmm, there's nothing better than Hot Chocolate in the morning." I said, holding it close to me and breathing in the warmth.

"I second that." Shane said, nodding at me, at showing me a smile. I smiled back before everything went silent.

Nate had his head bowed, and didn't say one word. I put my Hot Chocolate down and intertwined my fingers and set them into my lap, also looking down. Beneath all the smiles and small talk with Mitchie and Shane, I was still hurting.

After a few minutes, Shane noticed that I didn't have any toast left, so he picked up a piece, handing it to me.

I quickly brought my hands up to receive the nice gesture, and slammed my hands into the table.

"Ow! Shit!" I mumbled, making a face as I shook off my hands.

Nate's head snapped up, "What's wrong?" He asked sharply, his eyes piercing into me.

When I looked up to meet his stare, I was taken aback completely. His eyes were bright red, and it looked like he hadn't slept all night. I hadn't really looked at him when I had come in because I was so upset, but his hair was all messed up and by the looks of it he really didn't care enough about it to fix it. Which was incredible because his biggest pride was his hair.

I kept on my act though, and snapped quickly, "What do you_ think_?" He frowned as I stood up from the table and hurried into my room, jumping onto the bed and shoving my face into my pillow as fresh tears appeared.

I couldn't do this anymore- I couldn't be around him. I needed to leave.

I quickly picked up my phone, dialing the only number I could think of who would come and get me.

"Candace?" I asked softly, still crying, "Will you come get me?"

--

: ( I almost wanted to cry through this chapter. Ahh. So, I tried to make it longer since some of you said the previous chapter was too short, so I hope this is good enough and that I didn't let you guys down. And if I did I'm sorry!


	17. Chapter 17

Ah, so I officially fail at updating. You guys must hate me for taking like 5 days to add a new chapter. I'm truly and sincerely super sorry. I hope this Candace-filled and new information Chapter will make you all happy.

I love Michael Phelps. :) Sorry, I just needed to get that out of my system. Haha. He's so amazing. He has 9 Gold Medals now. Eeeppp. And have you seen his six-pack? WOW. Yeah. And also, Shawn Johnson is like, my hero. She's so amazing at gymnastics; it makes me wish I never quit. :(

Mkay, I'm done wishing I was in the Olympics now. Story time!

--

Not to my surprise, Candace came to get me as soon as I had asked her to. I shut the door to my room and packed up all my things as quickly as I could so no one would suspect anything. It was so weird for me that Jason still wasn't talking to me. It wasn't in his nature at all to not talk to me- let alone for 3 days. After Nate, Jason had always been the person that I talked to about all my problems. But since Jason hadn't been talking to me, I had been leaning on Shane more for all my support, but that really got me screwed over so now I wasn't so sure if I should even stay friends with him.

And something that was stressing me out even more? I had no idea how Mitchie was feeling about this entire conversation. I would have heard about it had they broken up or taken a break, but I hadn't so I was assuming everything was still in tact with regards to Shane and her. And I couldn't have been more relieved.

I was just finishing packing up my toothbrush when I heard a knock on the door. I panicked for a quick second, but figured whoever it was was going to know I was leaving sooner or later, so might as well let them know now.

"Come in." I said softly, awaiting nervously for who was going to enter into the room.

"Going so soon?" I heard Shane ask, with a hint of worry in his voice. I turned to smile at him, completely relax. I knew that he wouldn't try to stop me, and even if he did nothing he could say would make me want to stay at this point.

"I can't stay here with everyone like this, Shane. It's just too weird." I avoided eye contact with him as I packed the remainder of my stuff.

"It's not that weird, I mean things could be worse."

I stared at him disbelievingly. "Jason and Marleen won't even look at me. I mean not that I really care after what Marleen did, and every time I just look at Nate or think about him I imagine that kiss in my head. And it's just ruining everything for me. I can't be forced to stay here like this and I won't, it's torture for me."

Shane sighed, but I could tell that he understood where I was coming from. There was too much pain involved with just staying here for as long as we had left. I had a whole 5 days to go, and I didn't exactly want to spend it not talking to 3 of my best friends and ex-boyfriend. After everything I had been through it was just too much to handle.

"So who's getting you?" He asked, plopping down onto the edge of my bed.

"Candace." I said shortly, also sitting down next to him on the bed.

"Do you think that's entirely smart-?"

"She's the only person I have left, Shane." I cut him off and felt my eyes beginning to sting. I hated thinking about everything that had just happened. When I put it all into perspective what had happened that night was a complete tragedy. I wasn't talking to my best friend (Jason), the girl that I had looked up to so much thought of me as dirt (Marleen), and the boy that I loved the most in the entire world had gone behind my back and kissed someone else, as well as thought that I had cheated on him with mine and his best friend. This was a nightmare.

"Aw, Cait, you have me. And Mitchie." He immediately came to my side and wrapped an arm around me as I leaned into him, ready to cry again.

"But why hasn't she talked to me about all this? I d-didn't even know if you two were still together."

"Of course we're together." He said, pulling back a little to wipe away the tears on my face before pulling me into a tight embrace. "She just needs some time to regain all her thoughts and I think she's hurting because she kind of understands what you're going through and knows that you probably need space."

I nodded, too upset to say anything. He held me like that for a while, me sort of sobbing into his shoulder as he rubbed my back soothingly. After a moment I pulled away, dabbing at my eyes and sniffling.

"Candace should be here any moment, I should go."

Shane nodded and I left the room leaving him behind me, rushing outside where I saw Candace was waiting for me.

As I was about to get into the car, I felt a familiar hand grasp around my wrist and I closed my eyes, in anticipation as what was to come. I didn't want to face him.

"Don't do this, Caitlyn." He pleaded softly, and I could hear the emotion in his voice as he spoke, "Please, please don't go. I need you. You're my everything. Don't do this."

I felt the familiar stinging in my eyes as tears began to fall rapidly again, as I pulled my hand from his grip.

"I have to." I whispered, before practically running into the car.

I was thankful that Candace was busy showing Nate some rude hand gestures so it gave me the opportunity to cry my eyes out,_ again_.

"God. That son of a-. I could just punch the lights out of him." I heard Candace mumbling to herself darkly as we pulled out of the streets and onto the freeway to head home. I turned my head away from her so she couldn't see me and I stared out the car window, allowing myself to be absorbed into the scenery. Thankfully, Candace didn't feel the need to talk to me while driving and that relieved me tremendously.

Once we were locked to the confinements of her room, however, she let it all out.

"Deets. I want them. Right now." She said as she plopped onto her bed and I joined her. I took in a few deep breaths, happy that I had gotten out all my crying during the car ride.

"Well, it's what I told you earlier. He thought I was cheating on him with Shane so he kissed Marleen on purpose so that I would know what it felt like to be cheated on. It was totally stupid. Then we had a huge blowout at the beach and we were screaming at each other I think I even shoved him a few times, too."

"Good! You should have hit him, too." Candace said enthusiastically, practically growling. I chuckled softly.

"I think he felt bad enough without anything getting physical."

"I just don't understand why he would think that. I mean, he's head over heels in love with you. It's so hard to think of _Nate _cheating on someone. Let alone, you."

I shrugged, all cried out. "He was hurting, I guess he'll do anything to make me feel how he felt. I mean he's really sad and he apologized a lot."

"Yeah but that doesn't give him an excuse for what he did. He kissed another girl, Caitlyn. That's crossing the line."

"Yes, I'm aware, C. Why do you think I haven't forgiven him?"

"Do you think there's even the slightest chance that you two might get back together?"

She was hopeful, I could tell. But I gave her a small smile and shook my head. "I don't think so. I mean I think we had a great relationship but we've just been through too much."

"And a couple that has gone through that much deserves to be together! Caitlyn, you don't honestly think you could ever move on from Nate, do you?"

"I don't know." I shrugged, "I mean I have to, don't I? It's better than the alternative."

"And what's the alternative? Forgiving Nate? Why is that so hard to do?"

"He cheated on me, Candace! After he thought I was cheating on him! He has no idea how much I love him and care about him at all. Knowing him he probably thought I was just in it for the fame or something I don't know. Or maybe just so that I could be friends with Shane."

"Oh come on, T. Don't think of Nate that low. I know he cheated on you and I know it hurt but look at it from his side. HotTunes said that you were cheating on him, and that's one of the most reliable sources out there. And I personally haven't seen you and Shane but I can imagine you two must be pretty close friends. Nate wouldn't have done something unless he had honestly believed something was going on."

"But there _wasn't_, and he needed to talk to me about it before kissing someone else. And that too, Marleen."

"I agree with you on that completely, but look at who we're talking about. This is Nate. You know his strong suit isn't talking to people about his feelings. I'm even surprised he tells you he loves you."

"He doesn't." I grumbled, and began an explanation when Candace looked at me with a questioning look. "I was also a little irritated at the beach with him because Shane said he loved me (in a total brother-sister way) and I told him that Nate hadn't said that to me in over a week." I sighed, "I don't know. I guess I'm just jealous that Shane treats Mitchie like such a princess. I mean I've always had trouble accepting Nate for who he is."

"I'm not following…"

"I mean that like, Nate never shows me off, unless it's to family. Otherwise he avoids the press as much as he can, and in interviews when they ask if he's in a relationship he both just blushes and ignores it or just says a simple yes. I don't like being kept a secret. It's like he's ashamed to date me because I'm a nobody."

"Listen to me when I say this, T, he is not ashamed of you."

"Then why doesn't he flaunt me around?!" I asked, completely frustrated at this point.

"Because he doesn't want other people looking at you!" Candace said, rolling her eyes as though that was obvious.

"What?" I asked sharply.

"He hates when magazines show pictures of you or when HotTunes talks about you because he knows that other guys are looking at you. I mean I don't know if Nate tells you this or not but you're hot, Caitlyn. You could be just as famous as Connect 3 if you really wanted to be."

"But why can't he just_ talk_ to me about it? I mean that's sweet that he's a little over-protective but if he just told me that then I would respect it. He lets me think all these dark thoughts because he doesn't express himself. And it's putting a lot of strain our relationship. …Or it was."

"See! That's what I'm talking about! You still love him and want to be with him!"

"Well of course I still love him, and I would love to be with him but I just can't, Candace. I don't know if you can ever understand that but it's just too hard. It hurts just looking at him. Before he used to be this guy that I looked up to and every time he looked at me I felt like I could melt. But whenever I look at him now, I just think of that kiss. And I don't think I can ever let that go."

"Yeah but you two are going to be miserable without each other. How many times have you cried about this? At least twice every day, right? It's only been 2 days! Do you think that the more time goes by the easier it will get? Honey let me tell you, it will only get worse."

I sighed, knowing it was pointless to argue with Candace. She was older and smarter than me and I knew that she knew what she was talking about. "But he doesn't fight for me, Candace. He doesn't want me, and if he does he doesn't show me or tell me nearly enough as he should. I want to be somebody's whole world, not just a part of it."

Candace seemed equally as frustrated. "He wrote a song for you, though! You can't throw that out the window. He also performed it on HotTunes, and then at his Album opening he sang practically directly to you and gave you a mind-blowing kiss while there was like 60 paparazzi around! You can't ignore that!"

I frowned, just thinking about the memories that she had brought up. She made some good points.

"This is true, but that was before everything. Now it's just too hard to keep going on. I can't, Candace. I honestly can't. We have too many problems."

"But why aren't you fighting? You accuse him of not fighting for you and yet you're just giving up. How is that fair?"

"It's not." I sighed, "But I've fought for us for way too long, it's always me apologizing in the end and sucking up to him. I want him to do that for me. Just this one time."

On that note the conversation basically ended and Candace leaned her head back against the board, sighing, as she got lost in her thoughts. I, too, was totally immersed in memories with Nate, and the sleepover that we had just had recently with all of us…there was a certain hatred I was feeling towards Marleen. And as though she was reading my mind, Candace asked me about her.

"What's your feelings on Marleen?"

I shook my head, "I really don't know. On one side, I flipping hate her guts for what she did. And I hate that Jason didn't even care. On the other side, it was probably Nate's idea to begin with so I can't really blame her for wanting to make him feel better. I don't know. I can't make up my mind about the entire thing because it's all just way too complicated. But whenever I think about her I just get this feeling in my gut like I should hate her. I don't know."

"I've read some things about her," Candace agreed, sounding like she was disgusted. "She seems a little shady to me but I don't know, I mean who am I to judge her? I guess if Jason loves her that's all that really matters."

I noticed she was a little bitter when she mentioned Jason loving her. "Why so sour?" I asked, tilting my head to look at her. She rolled her eyes but plunged into the story anyway.

"I've sort of always had a thing for him."

"For Jason?" I asked, totally shocked. "No way!"

"Yes way," She said, laughing at my reaction, "After Connect 3 'connected' they all started hanging around here all the time I don't really know why I guess because it was the biggest house or something. But a lot of the time Nate would ask me his opinion on some of their songs so I ended up hanging out with them a lot of the time. I thought Jason was really cute, despite the air-headedness about him. But I always just thought he was a real sweetheart and that he was very responsible."

"Well why didn't you ever talk to him about it?" I asked eagerly, happy that the subject wasn't on me and Nate any more.

"Well I was going to, but after I heard about this whole Marleen thing, I decided I didn't want to trouble him any further with some more girl issues. He had enough on his plate already."

"But what if you two are like, soul mates?! I mean you two could be destined for each other and you would never know because you guys never tried something out."

Candace began laughing at this, "You obviously don't know Nate as well as I thought you did. Do you really think he would be chill with me dating his best friend and band member? Ha. No. He would flip a b."

"Whaaaaaat?" I asked, shaking my head. "Nuh-uh. I think he would be happy for you two."

"No. Think about it, T. I would be thrust into the fame life, and I know already that Nate doesn't entirely like it. Gossip would be written about me, and I would become someone. But as of right now, I'm just 'Nate Presley's older sister' and he wants it to stay that way."

I grumbled to myself; she had a legit point. I could see Nate not wanting her to be involved in any of the drama that he had to deal with.

"Well whatever. You would have been much better than stupid _Marleen_." I shuddered just at the thought of her and Candace laughed.

"Okay enough honesty! Let's see what's on TV."

Aha, that was not a very smart idea. What was on HotTunes do you think?

_This just in: Connect 3's two lead singers Nate Presley and Shane Grey, were witnessed drinking in their beach house during Spring Break. Exclusive witnesses say that girlfriend Caitlyn Gellar was seen running away from the house crying hysterically, while an intoxicated Shane ran after her to console her. And you may be thinking why would Shane be running after Nate's girl? Well, apparently, the two broke up after this entire incident. We're not aware of the full problem, but rumors have it that Nate might have cheated on ex-girlfriend Caitlyn with another girl. _

_All these rumors have fans wondering: is Connect 3 going back to their old ways?_

Even after the report had gotten off the screen, Candace and I were still gaping at the TV-mouths wide open. It was on the news already? This was definitely going to be bad PR for the boys. And what were they going to do? Were they going to deny the rumors that had started and lie about it? Or were they simply going to ignore it?

Candace must have been thinking the same thing, "They are so screwed." She whispered, completely horrified. All I could do was nod in agreement. "Nate's going to get busted."

And she must have been right because I could hear Naitlyn's parents yelling a few rooms away. They must have seen the report too, then. I slightly panicked when I thought about what was going to happen. Did this mean Nate was going to come home? I voiced my worries to Candace.

"I don't know," She replied honestly, shaking her head. "I honestly really don't know. I don't know what they were thinking. You didn't tell me they were drinking! God they are so fucked. Mom and Dad are definitely not going to let Nate stay there."

I bit my lip nervously, "Maybe I should go home then, you know so your whole family can work things out and stuff without me being here. Things might get a little awkward and I don't want Nate to feel embarrassed or something."

Candace glanced at the time, "It's 11 o'clock, my parents won't make them drive back this late at night with all the fog and stuff it's just way too dangerous. Stay here for the night, and then tomorrow I'll send you home. Okay?"

I sighed but nodded; she was right. There was no way I could even get a flight to get home, and even I would feel nervous this late at night taking a flight in on the private jet.

"Alright, I'll stay. But promise we'll do something fun now."

Candace grinned at me, "I promise it'll be better than any sleepover you've ever had."

And for this one moment, I counted my lucky stars for having someone like Candace.

--

You guys are going to kill me. :) Want to know why? A. Because this Chapter isn't nearly as long as I had promised myself it would be. And B. Because I'm leaving for Washington tomorrow and won't be back till Sunday, maybe Monday.

Yes, I know, get out your daggers and swords and pierce them through me in anger. I'm sorry. :( Hmm…I seem to be apologizing a lot through this story…


	18. Chapter 18

Wow. I actually made it back from Washington alive. I thought I was going to die from being in the car so long. Anywho! It was brought to my attention that things seem to be too dramatic for any of this to ever be real. And I do understand that it's a little out there, but you must also know that if it were fluff all the time it would be completely pointless. And I believe that all these troubles Nate and Caitlyn are going through will only make them stronger in the end. :) So, deal with the drama.

--

Days turned into weeks since I had last been in Candace's home. Nate and I still weren't on talking terms, and it was more than awkward whenever Shane came over to see Mitchie after school. We were still close, but not as close as we were before the entire beach incident. We thought it was too much with all the Press going on and on about how Shane and I were secretly having a 'stormy affair'. And it wasn't fair to Mitchie. Even though we had talked everything out I could tell she wasn't exactly cool with it. So we backed off.

It was weird not talking to Nate all day, everyday. It was like a part of me was missing. I wasn't exactly becoming depressed or anything, but I noticed that I wasn't very happy, either. I desperately asked Jason for any updates on him but they all just said the same thing: 'he's fine'. I don't know what that meant in boy language. That either meant he really was fine and didn't miss me at all, or that he, too, was also missing me as much as I was missing him.

Despite what everyone told me, that I should talk to him and work something out I just couldn't. And it hurt me more to think that Marleen and Nate were still bfflz and Jason was still dating her. I still needed to talk to him about Candace. Even if he didn't like her back I thought he had the right to know. And honestly, anyone would have been better for Jason than Marleen at this point.

I was thankful that school was keeping me busy, however. By the time Mitchie and I were done with all our homework we were passed out on the beds without even changing. And HotTunes had become so ridiculous with the accusations on all of us that we decided to stay clear of the channel for a while. It almost seemed like they just wanted to stir up some more drama. But luckily they weren't. After the break-up Nate secluded himself from everything, and Shane hated being put in public with Mitchie so they too were trying to stay discrete with everything going on in their relationship.

The one day that we did decide to watch HotTunes, however, I was glad that we had. Because Connect 3 was giving some sort of exclusive interview on everything that had happened. Mitchie and I talked about it for almost an hour afterwards.

"At least they cleared up the whole drinking thing." Mitchie had said as we were putting on nail polish a lazy Saturday morning.

"Yeah. I was worried that was going to come and bite them in the butt sooner or later." I sighed, "What do you think about the whole 'Sorry' thing?"

"You mean the bonus song on Wasted Time?" I nodded and she shrugged. "I don't know. I mean it could be for you since Nate said he wrote it...but it also could just be a song he wrote a really long time ago. I mean you never know."

"You're right," I agreed, "He probably wrote it a long time ago and it has nothing to do with me."

Mitchie thought silently for a moment. "Although the song did say 'Knowing that I am to blame, for leaving your heart out in the rain.' Wasn't it raining that night on the beach when you guys went at each other's throats?"

I pondered back to that night that still seemed like it was yesterday. "It might have been drizzling…but I don't think it was pouring or anything."

"Hmm."

We didn't really discuss the matter any further. Had Nate even wrote that song for me I would have been thankful, but it was also getting a little repetitive. Anytime he screwed up, or I screwed up, even, he liked to serenade me. It was cute and everything but sometimes it became overwhelming.

It had been exactly one month and 4 days when Nate texted me for the first time since I left the Beach. I felt like I was talking to a stranger. But it was also like I had just found the missing part of me.

_**Can we meet up sometime, just to talk everything out?**_

_What's there to talk out, Nate? We talked out everything that needed to be talked about._

_**I mean real talking, Cait. Without all the shoving and yelling.**_

_There's nothing that you can say that will change my mind, Nate. _

…_**I actually think that there is. Please just meet me somewhere, anywhere, even if it's only for two minutes. I miss you.**_

_I miss you too, Nate, but…_

_**Only 2 minutes. PLEASE, Caitlyn. **_

_Okay…fine. When and where?_

_**Tonight, meet me at the park off of 42**__**nd **__**at around 8. **_

_C u there._

_**I love you.**_

_Me too._

Once we had stopped texting I went into stressed out mode. Mitchie noticed me freaking out and when I told her what happened she immediately began freaking out.

"God! _Finally_ that boy gets a brain!" She exclaimed, as I looked at her quizzically.

"What do you mean?"

"Well he kept telling Shane for the past like 3 weeks that he was 'going to talk to her' but I guess it took him all that time to finally get the nerve to do it."

"Wait so you knew he was going to talk to me about all of this sooner or later?" She grinned while I groaned. "Mit-chie!" I whined, as she laughed. "You at least could have told me!"

She shook her head, "And watch you contest it? No way. Nate wants this one last chance to talk to you and I'm not gonna mess that up."

I sighed, knowing she was right. We then spent the next two hours debating on what I should wear, and what I was going to say to whatever he had planned to talk to me about. Mitchie, however, really was no help. She had this gleam in her eye like she knew more than she had told me. I just let it go though because I honestly was just too busy worrying about what was going to happen later.

As mad as I was at him, there was still this twinge of hope that he for some reason would want to get back together with me. I loved him with all my heart, enough that not a day went by that I didn't think about him. He made me cry from laughing so hard, but he also made me cry from hurting me so bad. It was a tough decision to make, but in the end I had just told myself to follow my heart. Because that way I wouldn't be regretting anything.

Mitchie gave me a big hug before I left, and I quickly made my way to the park. It only took about 5 minutes and when I got there I realized Nate wasn't there yet. I sighed and plopped down onto one of the swings, rocking gently back and forth as I stared down into the bark chips. The crazy design on one of them reminded me of the pattern of my own life; always taking a new course and never giving me any calm waters.

An almost silent, "Hey," broke me out of my thoughts. I jumped lightly, before smiling and seeing Nate standing before me. He looked…terrible. He hadn't done his hair yet, and had let it grown out so it was rather long and messy. He had dark bags under his eyes and he all around just looked depressed. I frowned softly, looking away.

"Hey to you." I replied just as quietly, still focusing on the ground.

He came close to me and sat on the swing to the left of me, also beginning to sway gently back and forth. I could see from the light of the moon, his face was glowing as he went into deep concentration. It was getting awkward…

"So I've been doing a lot of thinking…" He began, taking in a deep breath, "And I think I'm going to quit the band."

I froze, my mouth opening in shock as I turned my head to start at him. "You're going to do WHAT?" I asked him, still not getting over my now permanent brain freeze.

"Connect 3, I'm going to quit."

"Are you joking me?" I asked loudly. He just stared at me without even flinching, "But why? Why would you even do that?"

"For you." He said simply, shrugging.

I was once again thrown off guard. "What? For me? Nate, I never-"

"I know. I know you never complained about it but I also know that you're too nice to say anything about it, either. I know my music is killing you because we hardly get to see each other and I think that's why we broke-up in the first place. Because I never got the time to just talk to you, one-on-one without any interruptions."

I shook my head, "Nate, Connect 3 wasn't the reason we broke up. We broke up because of a fundamental trust issue-"

"I know, I know. But still, I feel like without the Band we could be stronger."

"I disagree." I said bluntly, shaking my head again. "Connect 3 is everything you have, Nate. Without music you would lose yourself…and I don't want to see that happen to you."

"But see that's one thing I noticed, when I lost you, then I lost music. You're the inspiration for almost everything that I write, Caitlyn. Without you…there is no me. There's no music. Just emptiness." He never stopped looking at me as I sat there quietly, thinking. I didn't want him to quit the band. Despite what he said I knew that he would lose himself without the guys, and the music and the concerts. It's what he lived for.

He could tell I was struggling with this, so he got off his swing and kneeled in front of me, placing both hands on my knees as he stared up at me with his beautiful brown eyes.

"Come on, Cait. Without the Band we could do anything. We could leave and go anywhere you want to, right now."

"What are you talking about, Nate?! Have you gone insane? I'm a junior in High School. I have College to think about! A future! A career. I can't just go off with you like this!"

"Why not?" He demanded.

"Because! It's just…it's archaic! I won't do that with you. Not right now. And I don't want you to quit the band."

"Damnit Caitlyn!" He swore, getting off of his knees and running his hands through his hair. I bit my lip in angst but glowered at him all the same. "Why can't you just let me in? Huh? Here I am, ready to drop everything for you, but you still won't let me back into that tiny place in your heart. And I don't even know why."

"BECAUSE YOU BROKE MINE!" I yelled, jumping off the swing. Nate looked taken aback as he stared back at me. "You broke my heart, Nate. Everyday that I think about you is everyday that I think about that stupid kiss with Marleen. And even though you may think it was nothing, it hurt me, Nate. And I didn't deserve that."

"Of course you didn't deserve that." He said, nodding, "It was stupid of me and I am so sorry, Caitlyn. So incredibly sorry I can't even explain to you. But I need you back in my life. I'm nothing without you. I need you. I love you."

"But _why?_" I asked him desperately, fighting off the tears I felt were about to fall.

He struggled with himself as he began talking. And right as he began to speak I felt light raindrops falling on both of us. We ignored it though, as he began to speak.

"I love you because…you wrinkle your nose when you're trying to act cute. And even though you act like you don't care about being away from your parents I know how much it's hurting you inside. And how you make faces at me when you think I'm not looking. And that every time you smile at me, I feel like I'm in a whole other planet. Like nothing else even matters just as long as I see you laughing. And because…because you're Caitlyn Gellar. And I would do anything to keep you happy."

It was pouring by now but I ignored it as my tears kept on falling, "Those are some pretty good reasons." I concluded, smiling slightly before running into his arms.

I finally felt like I was safe and at home now. Even though it was raining I felt a surprisingly strong amount of warmth as he held me in his arms. I squeezed him as tight to me as I could, and I could practically feel him smiling against my face as he kissed the side of my head and buried his face into my neck.

We both breathed in deeply, savoring the feeling of being back in each other's arms again. "Please don't quit the band." I mumbled into his chest, and I could feel his chest erupt into a soft chuckle.

"That's really what you're worried about right now?" He asked, kissing my neck lightly. I nodded, determined not to get distracted. He pulled away and surveyed my face for a moment, before nodding lightly, "I won't ever quit the Band as long as it's going, I promise." He swore to me, before kissing my forehead, "I just wanted you to understand how madly in love with you I am."

I gazed into his eyes before pressing my lips into his in an earth-shattering kiss. As though it was reflex, I jumped up lightly, wrapping my legs around his waist as he twirled me slightly in the rain. I broke apart from him laughing while he grinned at me in amazement. I hadn't felt this happy since we had first decided to date each other.

"I understand now." I whispered, and it took him a moment to understand I was referring to what he said before. He just nodded at me, not looking away from my eyes as we kissed again.

It might have been a touché to be kissing in the rain, _again. _But it really was the most incredible feeling of my life. It was even better than the kisses we had when we were alone in bed together. Because whenever we were in the rain it just added to the pressure of the moment. And Nate always became desperate in situations like these, and I could feel it in the way he was kissing me. It was almost like an aggression that possessed him.

When he set me down, I refused to let go and kept clutching him close to me, trying to remember what this moment felt like for future references. He then began to hum in my ear softly, and what he was humming made me want to cry and kiss him all over again.

He was singing 'Sorry' to me. So it really was about me, then? And as if he had heard my question he nodded gently.

"I'm sorry for everything, Caitlyn. I love you baby." He pulled out the bracelet I had thrown at him, and noticed he had put another charm on there. I was surprised though, that it was the number zero. He explained as he put it back on my wrist. "That's the number of days I want to go on without you."

I frowned as I was about to tear up, and practically jumped him again as I held on tight to as much of him as I could. "I love you, Nate. I'm sorry for everything that I've ever said or done to you. I love you so much."

"Shhh." He silenced me with yet again another amazing kiss, before pulling me into his arms and holding me for as long as I could. I never wanted it to end.

When I woke up the next morning, I was almost afraid it was too good to be true and that I had been dreaming, but when I saw the bracelet dangling from my wrist, it was a silent reminder that it really had happened. And that I now officially wasn't single anymore. When I woke up I had 2 texts, all from Nate. I smiled as I read them.

_**Mornin' baby :) It's really early and I know you won't be up yet…but I just wanted to say I love you. **_

_**Just got done recording with Connect 3…yes, I'm still with them don't worry ;) I love you!**_

"Looks like someone's back in Paradise." Mitchie observed, grinning at me while I grinned back, feeling amazing.

"Totally. Ah, I didn't realize how much I missed him till now. I can't believe I even survived that long without him…he's so incredible."

She shook her head, but gave me a quick hug, "Well I'm glad you two are back together now. It was killing Shane." She explained before I could ask, "You know how he gets. All depressed and quiet- even more quiet than he is now. Or if he did speak it would to be about how sorry he was or how much of an idiot he is. It's good to know he'll be smiling a little more now."

I also smiled, loving the face that we were back together. "Thanks for being there for me, Mitch. I really owe you."

Mitchie smiled and shook her head, "That's what sister's are for."

I nodded, "Definitely."

I texted Nate back as Mitchie and I began singing 'Inseparable' at the top of our lungs. And once we had sung that, we changed to 'Gotta Find You', singing and laughing at each other as we jumped on our beds, using our hairbrushes for microphones.

I finally felt like I was getting back into the swing of things, and I had no one better to thank than Mitchie. She had always been by my side and I knew she always would be. I don't think I was ever as thankful or grateful, as I should have been for the people I was surrounded by.

--

Wow, I'm just as surprised as you are. I didn't even mean to get those two back together in this Chapter…whoa. I just started typing and this is what came out. Very strange, I know. Considering normally I plan everything out. Hmm. Guess what? I solved a Rubik's Cube. You're jealous, I know. : )


	19. Chapter 19

Wow, I really suck don't I? It's been a week since I've updated…I truly suck at life. But, if it makes you guys feel any better, I've been suffering cause I'm hella sick. Fever, Nausea, nose running, sinus headaches. The works. So I too have been in pain.

Special shout out to JonasFan1234 for being my 200th Reviewer! Yaayyy! :) Seriously, you guys are awesome.

And for all of you who hate Marleen, this Chapter is going to make you want to pull out your hair. But no worries- what happens at the very end will make you LOVE me.

--

After we had made up, Nate and I spent every waking moment together. He would pick me up after school every Friday, and would stay till Monday morning when he dropped me off to School. Sometimes Shane came with him, and other times they both wouldn't come for a day or so because they had stuff to do with the band. But for the most part they generally tried to clear their weekends for us.

One night in particular, Nate had brought up the break-up again, and I was getting frustrated because I had been desperately trying to get it out of my mind and just forget about it.

"I told you not to bring it up," I said for the thousandth time as I let my hair down loose around my shoulders and began getting ready for bed. Shane and Nate had both stayed till about 1 in the morning and Connie wouldn't let them leave- even if they called for their driver to come and get them. She had said it would be too dangerous.

"I know, I know you did, Caitlyn. But I don't feel like you've forgotten about it yet." Nate protested, stripping down to his boxers.

"I said I'd forgotten so I have." I replied, slightly annoyed. I heard Nate sigh as he climbed into bed.

"If you say you have then I guess I believe you…"

"Good." I said, also climbing into bed next to him. "Now let's talk about something happy."

Nate was silent and I could tell he was thinking about something. I looked over at him from my position on the bed with a questioning look on my face.

He smiled at me, "Would you feel comfortable doing an exclusive interview with me?" He asked, hesitating only slightly.

I sat up a little, completely taken aback, "Like for a Magazine or for HotTunes?"

He shrugged, "Both. Or maybe just HotTunes, since everyone watches that."

I eyed him skeptically, "Wait…why? I thought you didn't like to talk about your personal relationships with anyone?"

"That was before…when I didn't want anyone to know about my business."

"And you want everyone to know now why…?" I still didn't understand where this was going or where it was coming from.

"Because I love you." He said bluntly, showing me a big smile. "And I want everyone to know that."

"Aww, Nate." I cooed, cuddling up to him closely as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to him. "So…when is said interview going to take place?"

"I was actually thinking tomorrow," He said, smiling at me, "So that the press doesn't come out with anything more ridiculous."

"I'm afraid that's really all they do though. Come up with stupid false rumors about celebs." I frowned as he began playing with my hair.

"It's how they make all the money, though. Did you know that anyone could make up to 1 million dollars if they gave out 'suggestive' photos of me?"

I widened my eyes, tilting my head to look up at him. "Seriously?"

He nodded his head, "Yeah. I heard that some old friend of that popstar, Faith, had given some exclusive photos of her and the girl got like 250,000."

"Wow." I said, allowing this new information to sink in. "Oh, and baby you're kinda out of the loop. They call Faith 'Boomer' now. Or Boom for short."

Hw wrinkled his nose, "Why? Is she really annoying or something?"

I laughed, "Close. But no, when she was younger she ran into walls or something and would yell 'Boom' so her Dad started calling her that. She legally changed her name from Faith to Boomer like a year ago or something."

"Who would want to be called Boomer on their own free will?"

I laughed at the look on his face and shrugged, "Some people really have a thing for nicknames."

"I guess so…but still. Boomer? …Wow." He shuddered and I rolled my eyes, shoving him a little.

"Don't be rude." I said, closing my eyes as sleep began to overtake my willpower to stay up.

"Oh I'm not being rude, I'm just being-"

"Judgmental? Jerk-like?" I finished for him.

"No." He said, and I could tell he too was probably rolling his eyes, "I was going to say I was just thinking out loud. But Judgmental works too."

"Awesome. Now be quiet I want to go to sleep."

Nate scoffed, "Gee love you, too."

"Mhmm." I replied, smiling as I fell into a perfect sleep.

Only to be woken up what felt like not even an hour later by someone whispering to me.

"Baby. Baby wake up." Nate was whispering, shaking me gently.

"Sleep." I mumbled, rubbing my face into the pillow.

"You're already slept. Now come on you gotta get up."

"Sleep first, up later." I mumbled again, twisting my head away from him.

"Baby," I could tell he was whining now, "Please get up. We have to go do our interviews in like an hour. Which means we need to leave here in 45 minutes."

"What?" I screamed, sitting up in place, "45 minutes? Nate, do you think I can get ready in 45 minutes?! I have to take a shower, then straighten my hair, then curl my hair. Then find something nice to wear."

"Hey that rhymed." Nate said grinning. I glared at him as I ran out of the bed and into the bathroom.

I remarkable was ready in 45 minutes, though I took literally about a 2-minute shower. Which was a huge record for me, let me tell you. And we were ready to be interviewed in even a quicker amount of time- or so it seemed.

"Hello guys. So my name is Shelly. And first I'm going to ask you a few questions and then we'll do a little photo shoot for the Magazine and for HotTunes' website. Sound good?" She smiled at us and sat across from Nate and I. She seemed like the typical, average reporter. Blonde hair, glasses, and super skinny- kinda like a model.

I felt Nate squeeze my hand and I guess he could tell how nervous I was. I smiled at him before Shelly began with the questions.

"So, a lot of fans have been wondering- When did you two officially become an item?"

I glanced at Nate and it seemed like he wanted to take the first question. "Well, we 'officially' started dating the beginning of the School Year, September 4th, I believe it was. But we were pretty close about 2 years prior to that."

"Yeah, we've known each other since we both went to Camp Rock. Which was as he said about 2, 2 and a half years ago." I added in, smiling at him still.

Shelly wrote some things down before asking another question, "And has your relationship been pretty steady since then?"

Nate and I shared a look and I giggled softly. "We're had our share of troubles." I began, and Nate filled in,

"As all couples do. But we've really managed to stick together in the end. What it really comes down to is maturity and being able to handle having your potential life partner about 5,000 miles away from you."

"Now, you say 'potential life partner'- does this mean you two have considered marriage?"

I laughed softly at the question, "We may have mentioned it from time to time, but really we're not into anything serious. Right now I'm just trying to survive High School,"

"And I'm just trying to think up some new tunes for the band." We both laughed softly and could tell that Shelly was smiling. She must have really liked us.

"Now this is a bit off-topic, but there was a recent beach incident…? Do you care to fill in your fans on what happened there?"

"Oh boy." I said, sighing, Nate squeezed my hand again.

"It was a rough time for us then. It was honestly a huge misunderstanding and things got blown way out of proportion. But once we sat down and talked about it maturely, we worked everything out. Sometimes you love something so much you just can't let it go. Not matter how hard you try." Nate was looking into my eyes now and I blushed deeply, averting my eyes. I think Shelly wanted to 'aww' us at that point.

"So you guys are in love then?"

"Absolutely." I said first, without even thinking about it, I leaned my head onto his shoulder and he kissed the top of my head before un-intertwining our fingers and wrapping his arm around me.

"You guys seem so comfortable around each other. Do you think it's because of how much you guys have gone through as a couple?"

I nodded, "Definitely. Everyday there's something new that we have to put up with. The press lying about some new rumor, or saying that Nate's cheating on me behind my back or that I'm cheating on him behind his back. A lot of the times when we're together it's a zoo. But there are certain moments where I get him all to myself. And those 3 or 4 hours are worth every hurdle thrown our way."

We both smiled at each other and I could tell he was resisting the urge to kiss me.

"Okay so now that we've gone through the deets about you guys as a couple- I'm very curious, and as are the fans, did he give you that bracelet?"

I nodded, "Yeah. I gave that to her the first day we started going out. Every major holiday or event I get her a new charm." Nate said, looking down at the bracelet.

"Like he got me the music note to symbolize when we first met at Camp Rock, and a phone because we text all the time."

Shelly laughed at that and wrote something down on her little pad of hers. "Just one final question and then I'll leave you guys for the Photo Shoot. Nate, a lot of people have been wondering if you wrote 'Sorry' for Caitlyn?"

"I did." Nate said, smiling slightly, "Music is really my main way of expressing myself. And the things that I could never say to her, I sing to her instead. I think it gets on her nerves sometimes."

I laughed, nudging him gently. "No, of course not. It's what I get for dating a rockstar."

After wrapping up the interview, Nate and I posed for several pictures. There was one where we were just sort of standing awkwardly holding hands- that was a weird one. Then there were a few on the couch, which also didn't seem right. Then the one that I had really liked was actually on a total accident. Nate had said something_ extremely_ immature, (and I mean something he wouldn't have wanted anyone else to hear) and I had pelted him with one of the pillows. It had turned into a pillow fight and next thing we new the camera people were clicking away at us. They were actually really cute because we both had genuine smiles on our faces instead of the fake crap that we normally had to put on for interviewers.

Once they had gotten the picture they wanted for the cover of the article, we bid our goodbyes and headed out to go home where Shane, Mitchie, Jason, and regrettably, Marleen –ugh- were going to be waiting for us. I guess Jason had thought things had ended on a bad note before at the beach and wanted Marleen and I to fix our relationship. As if that was ever going to happen.

"I think that went very well." Nate said, smiling at me as we walked into Mitchie's house. I smiled back at him, nodding.

"Yeah I guess it wasn't too bad. Could have been worse. Shelly was pretty nice, didn't seem like she was going to twist anything we said, either."

"Nah she won't be much of a trouble. The guys and I have done interviews with her before and she puts in her articles exactly what we said word for word without skipping anything."

"Good." I said, grinning as we entered into Mitchie's house. "We're home!" I yelled, waiting for a response.

"In here!" I heard Mitchie yell back.

We found the four of them surrounding one of the tables on the floor, playing a game of Sorry.

"Ugh I hate that game." I said, pouting.

"That's because you always lose." Nate teased, as I rolled my eyes.

"Nate!" I heard Marleen squeal, as she got up and ran over to him giving him a hug. I made a face and stared at Mitchie with raised eyebrows who shrugged.

"Uh, Hey Marleen." Nate said awkwardly, giving her a half shrug. "How have you been?"

"Ugh. Totally missing you. God, I haven't seen you since…"

"The beach incident?" I asked, helping her out a little as I tightened my grip around Nate's hand so he knew how I was feeling- pissed.

"Yeah! When I kissed you. Wow. Fun times."

I ground my teeth together, sort of seething in violent anger as I watched the tramp walk back to her spot on the floor. I glared at her backside while Nate protectively wrapped his arms around me, knowing that I was getting edgy.

"Relax, babe." He whispered into my ear so only I could hear him.

"I'm trying," I whispered back, "But she's making it very difficult."

He looked at me in sort of that 'play nice' way. Before giving me a quick kiss and picking out another game.

"Oh! Let's play Charades!" Marleen exclaimed, jumping up again so she would act something out first.

I rolled my eyes, and joined Nate on the floor, who was also next to Mitchie. Marleen then made a face that looked like she was either hurt or super constipated. I just stared at her while the guys started blurting out possibilities.

"Uhm…someone who just got shot?" Shane suggested, looking at Marleen with a tilted face. I could tell that he, too, wasn't over what had happened with Marleen.

She shook her head, acting it out again. She opened a door looking all happy, and then pretended to see something and her face got all angry. I wrinkled my eyebrows.

"This is ridiculous. We're never going to get it." I said, as Mitchie and Shane both nodded in agreement.

"Oh Caitlyn, I think this is one you're really going to get once you guess it." She said back coldly, though with a sweet smile added to it.

"Why? Is that the look on my face once I saw you getting dumped?"

I heard a faint, "Oohhhh," From Shane, and then a slap on the arm from Mitchie. Marleen pursed her lips.

"No, it was the look on your face after I kissed Nate."

Mitchie's jaw dropped, as did mine. I could tell Nate was struggling with himself and Jason just looked confused.

"That was low, Marleen. Even for you." Shane growled protectively, probably because he knew Nate was too nice to say anything.

"Well whatever. It's just a game, so-"

"No it's not just a game." I said, standing up and walking over to her with a fierce look plastered on my face. I could feel Nate standing up behind me but didn't care. "That's all this is to you though, isn't it? Kissing Nate, playing with my heart, bringing back all the painful memories that I have to live with every day. I'm so sick of all the hell you've put me through! It's just one big freaking fiesta to you, isn't it?"

Marleen crossed her arms over her chest, "You're just jealous that I won."

"Won what?" I asked, exasperated. "And what's the prize? Nate? If you haven't noticed, he doesn't like you. He's too nice to say it but he thinks you're a bitch."

"Oh really?" She asked, a smug look on her face. "Did he tell you whose idea it was for us to kiss?"

"That doesn't matter, Marleen." Nate jumped in, coming between Marleen and me. "It's over now. Done. Caitlyn and I have worked through this and we don't need you trying to ruin what we've built together."

"What you two have built together?" Marleen asked, laughing. "Oh please. You two are about as stable a newborn trying to walk. Just a little slip and you two come tumbling down."

"And that makes you happy?" I asked, "It makes you happy to see us miserable when we're fighting?" I tried to push Nate away so that I could see Marleen's face more clearly, but he was holding onto my shoulders too tight for me to even wiggle a little.

"Yes, it does. Because it lets me know that I have a chance."

"With who?" Shane asked, "Because if you're thinking with Nate you don't have a shot in hell."

I could see Marleen's face falling a little, but she didn't give up. "Why don't we just ask Nate that for ourselves, shall we?" Marleen turned to Nate, (who seemed pretty pissed beneath that cool face of his), "Well?" She prompted Nate. Everyone was silent as we awaited his answer.

"Shane's right. You don't have a chance in hell with me. And for the record, I would never date a tramp like you."

"I think the proper word is Slut, Nate." Shane said, grinning. I too, was grinning at the look Marleen had on her face. It was the look of defeat. She had been hoping that she would be able to win Nate over, or to at least make me a little jealous. But it hadn't worked because Nate had been right. He really was changing, and he was going to fight for me from now on. I could tell.

Jason looked equally pissed. Well, more upset I would say. "We're done, Marleen."

"But, Jason-" She stuttered, running over to him. Jason pushed her away.

"No. You don't even care about me at all. You're selfish and spoiled and probably never even loved me. I want you to leave."

"But-"

"Marleen, he asked nicely." Mitchie cut in, in the not so friendliest voice around. Marleen mumbled something bit walked out the front door all the same, slamming it from behind her.

"Wow." I said, slumping into Nate who wrapped his arms around me.

"Yeah, wow." Mitchie echoed, also hugging Shane.

Jason seemed speechless and a little shocked, "Hey," I said slowly, reaching out to him, "Do you want to talk?" I asked.

He shook his head, "I think I'm just going to go take a walk or something. Clear my head." He said softly, before leaving I frowned.

"He looks so heartbroken." I said, pretty broken myself.

"Well he is." Nate said, and I could hear the sadness in his voice.

"Let's just give him a little while, it'll all work out in the end. He knows how to take care of himself he's a big boy."

I sighed, "Yeah I guess you're right."

"So…" Mitchie began, looking at us, "I don't really feel like playing any games after what just happened…wanna pop in a movie?"

I nodded my head, "Sounds great. And no debating, just pick one randomly and shove it in."

The Sound of Music had been picked the first time, and we were all so enveloped in our thoughts that we didn't even care nor did we watch the movie or Anna Maria as she sang her way to a mansion filled with kids.

Nate seemed totally absorbed in whatever he was thinking, and Shane and Mitchie were conversing with each other softly, probably talking about Jason. I felt like since he wasn't in the room, I should bring it up.

"Candace likes Jason." I said softly, cutting through the silence. Nate snapped his head up to look at me.

"What?"

"Candace…"I said more slowly, "She has a thing for Jason. She always has."

"Aww!' That would be so cute if they got together." Mitchie said, as her and I giggled at the thought.

"Yeah except no." Nate said firmly, shaking his head. "She's my sister, I'm not going to let her date Jason." I had been prepared for this.

"Nate what difference does it make? It's her life…and if they like each other…then…"

"Then what? Cait, you know how we all are. If Candace comes into the picture then I'll have to be with her 24/7. We're all one huge unit. I would have to see her whenever I want to hangout with Jason."

"And what's wrong with that?" I asked, turning to face him.

"Yeah man, you're always complaining about how you never see her 'cause you're too busy with Connect 3. Wouldn't this just work out perfectly for you?" Shane asked, also looking at him.

"No, it wouldn't! She's my sister. I don't want to see her and Jason making out all the time."

"Oh Jason is hardly like that." I said, rolling my eyes. Nate was being dramatic.

"Okay well maybe not but still. I don't want to have to hear Jason talking about how in love with her he is. She's my sister it's weird."

"Nate, baby, I honestly think that you wouldn't be happy with any guy that she dated. Now what's so horrible about Jason? You know him better than anyone- you know how he is. He wouldn't hurt her like someone else would."

Nate sighed, running his hands through his hair, "I just don't want her to get sucked into the kind of life that I pulled you into. Going on tours, having to deal with long distance stuff. It's too hard."

"But you guys make it through everyday." Mitchie said, smiling at us, "And so do we.' She said, holding hands with Shane.

"She'll be fine, Nate. I think you need to remember that she's older than you and she's probably gone through a lot more than you think she has. What with having a rockstar for a brother. I think she knows how to handle it by now." Shane added.

I knew that for now Nate might have been contemplating on allowing it to happen. But he probably would have to talk about it with me again.

"I don't know. We're not don't discussing this though…but for now I just want to watch the movie. Plus Jason could be here any second." He shifted his focus back onto the TV, and I kissed his cheek, giving him a hug.

"Thank you." I said softly, burying my face into his chest.

"For what?" He whispered, his mouth a few inches from my forehead.

"For being so amazing. I love you."

"I love you too, Cait. Forever and Always."

"Forever and Always." I whispered, before also turning my attention to the movie.

--

Yayyy! Super long Chapter, too, since all of you were so patient in waiting. :) I like this Chapter. Though my hands have like arthritis from typing so much and my back aches. And I have a stuffed nose. And a watery eye. Ha, I'm such a whiner. Wow. I'm off to get my monthly dose of some Lorelai Gilmore.

Night!


	20. Chapter 20

Thiiissss Chapter is dedicated to my best friend, who is turning… 16 today I think. : ) And I wanted to wish her a very Happy Birthday by posting this Chapter up.

So, be very thankful she was born on this day. Haha.

--

Things had never been as calm as they were now. No more drama, no more interruptions, everyone was actually happy. Nate and I were like a brand new couple that pretty much fought over who loved who more. (Immature, I know.) Mitchie and Shane were getting along perfectly- as usual. And though Jason seemed lonely…he was pretty happy for a guy who had lost his v card to a total slut. Insert sarcastic smiley face here.

School had been overwhelmingly annoying, and I felt like it was never going to end. But alas, it did. I couldn't remember a school year every being that freaking hard. I was just amazed, though, that Nate and I had managed to last almost 10 months. Wow. And the time had flown by so quickly, too. The feeling of having a boyfriend for that long was foreign to me since really Nate was my first. And we now had so much history with each other…I don't think I ever could date someone other than him.

Although I was done and happy with successfully completing my 3rd year of High School, along with summer came the Tour. The Tour all of us were dreading and didn't want to happen. We never talked about it because it was too depressing, so I kept trying to forget about it. But now there were only 3 days till the boys left, and even though it was only just around the U.S., Mitchie and I were sure that we wouldn't be seeing much of them.

"Can't you guys just come with us?" I heard Shane whine to Mitchie as we all lounged in the living room watching TV. I was leaning against Nate on the floor and Mitchie and Shane were playing a game of Trouble opposite to us. Jason was reading something in the armchair.

Mitchie sighed, "I really wish that we could, babe."

"But I have to visit my parents, and we thought the tour was going to start before school ended so we didn't even think about the possibility of us going with you." I said, also frowning.

"Ugh. This sucks." Nate said, holding me closer to him.

"Well if it makes you feel any better I'll still be pining for you miles and miles away." I grinned, trying to lighten up the mood. Shane rolled his eyes.

"Yes, because that was the plan all along." He replied sarcastically.

"Who hit you with the grumpy stick?" Mitchie asked, glancing up at him. Shane looked agitated.

"No one. I'm just going to miss my girlfriend that's all. Is that _so_ bad?"

"No, it isn't. In fact I insist that you miss me every moment of every day." She replied, giving him a chaste kiss. I couldn't help but smile at the two. They had come a long way since Camp Rock.

"Well, now that your little moment is over, we should probably decide how we're going to see each other." Nate cut in- always the planner.

The happy moment quickly died as we frowned.

"Well for the most part we'll be around the East Coast. So I'm sure we could drop by here and there." Shane said, resting his head atop Mitchie's.

"And if I bribed my parents enough, I'm sure it wouldn't kill them to spend a little money and let Mitchie and I come to a concert on the West Coast." I offered, looking from Shane to Nate.

"Yeah! I've always wanted to see the West Coast, I've heard it isn't as hot there as it gets here." Mitchie piped up, grinning.

"Ohh! Yeah that sounds fun!" I joined in, also grinning as Mitchie and I began talking about what all we would do if we got a chance to go to the West Coast.

"That all sounds amazing and everything," Nate interrupted our fantasyland, "But all the concerts are sold out. Even if your Dad did want to buy Mitchie and you a 500 ticket to see us, there would be no seats left."

I frowned, "You couldn't do some leg pulling and let us steal two front seats? We're not that big we wouldn't take up too much room."

Nate frowned also, "I'm afraid not baby. I'm sorry."

For like the umpteenth time all of us sighed. We really were only going to see each other like 3 times over the whole summer. That sucked. Majorly.

Since the break-up, Jason had been unusually quiet all the time. He didn't say much, and we didn't force him to talk. We figured he wanted some alone time to sort out all his thoughts. We didn't push anything on him with him and Candace, either. Though I updated her almost every other day on what was going on with him. She seemed concerned.

The last night came way too quickly, and earlier than either of us had planned. I was just getting used to the idea of having Nate around when it dawned on me that he was only going to leave. The last night that they were here, instead of all hanging out as a group, we decided to turn in early so we could have some alone time with our significant other. For Nate and I, this proved to be a very positive experience. Ha.

As usual, things with us had gotten heated, but he managed to stop before anything drastic happened. I was curled up next to him in my favorite pajama shorts and a tank top, and Nate was in his boxers and had his shirt off.

And it was as we were laying there in perfect bliss, that I realized I could live like this forever. Till the end of time, for as long as Nate wanted me- I could live with falling asleep like this everyday.

"I'm ready." My statement broke the silence. Nate wrinkled his brown and looked at me.

"Ready? What do you mean 'ready?"

I sucked in a deep breath. "I mean I'm ready to give myself to you. All of it."

"Wait…. are you talking metaphorically? Like you want to give your heart to me? Or do you mean…?" I looked away for a moment, then back at him. And I could tell that this time he had understood what I meant.

"Caitlyn…I can't. I mean…I love you. With my whole heart and soul, Forever and Always. But I can't." He replied.

"You can't? Or you don't want to?" I asked, tears now burning to my eyes. Awesome. Now I get to be emotional.

Nate chuckled, "Baby, do you really think I wouldn't want to? I mean look at you….you're hot. Every time you flip your hair or bite your lip or do that extremely adorable but annoying pouting face, I have to use all my self-control to not just have my way with you right then and there."

I smiled a little and tilted my face so I could look in his eyes. "Really?" I asked, still having a hint of doubt.

"Really. And you might want to do it now, but are you sure it's not just because I'm leaving and you're upset?"

I shrugged, sighing softly, "I don't know. I can't really tell with me anymore. Before you, and all this rockstar stuff, I used to know how I was feeling all the time. But now, all I can feel is love. And the aching I have in my heart whenever you're not around or you're gone for too long. And sometimes I think that feeling overtakes all my other emotions. Like my ability to process and think about what I want or what I think I want." I paused for a moment, "Does that make sense?"

Nate nodded, "Yes, it does. You're confused as to whether or not you want to have sex with me, because you don't know if it's something you really want and are ready for, or if you just think you want it because you love me so much. Am I anywhere close to understanding what you said?"

I nodded. "Yeah, except that way made much more sense." I smiled and nuzzled my head into his neck. "I really don't want you to go, Nate."

"I know, baby." He sighed, kissing the top of my head. "If I didn't have to go, believe me, I wouldn't. But I unfortunately do. The band needs me."

I nodded, closing my eyes, "I understand. I just wish that we could see each other more. Or that it would get easier. I always thought that the longer we were together, the easier it would get. But it's proven to be the exact opposite."

"Because I'm completely attached to you." He finished for me, holding me closer to him. I didn't say anything else, because the moment was perfect.

I woke up to Nate wandering around the room, assumingly looking for all his things. At first I was confused, it had to be at least 6 in the morning.

"Nate?" I asked wearily, opening my eyes slightly.

"Shhh. Go back to sleep." He said, shoving something else into his bag.

"What time is it?"

"6:30."

"In the morning?" I teased, smiling slightly.

I could hear the grin through the words he spoke, too. "Yes, in the morning. We have an early flight so we could get ready for sound check."

I got the queezy feeling in my stomach. The one where I knew he was going to leave soon and that I wouldn't get to see him for a long time. I frowned, sitting up quickly in bed.

"Right. Where's the first concert again?"

"Maryland." He replied, still looking for his things.

"Maryland? Who the hell lives in Maryland? I mean no offense to the people who _do_ live there, but still. What do they need my boyfriend for?"

"I assume, since I'm in a band, they want to hear me play my guitar and sing?" He replied, still smiling and distracted by trying to find all his stuff.

"Stop." I whined, grabbing onto his arm. "I don't want you to go."

"I know, babe. But I have to." He sighed.

"I have ways of making you stay, you know." I countered, desperate to make him stay for a little longer.

"Yes, but take pity on me. After I come back I'm all yours."

"Only till school starts back up again. Which is a week after you get back."

"Yes, well."

"Life sucks." I sighed, gazing up into his eyes. He frowned,

"And then you die." He finished, quoting some fictional character on Tv. I laughed softly.

"I'm really going to miss this."

Nate leaned in closer to me, setting down his bag before sitting down on the edge of the bed a few feet away from me.

"I know. Me too. But I'll call you every night I can and text you every second that I get. Promise."

"I'm gonna hold you to that." I threatened, as tears began to slide down my cheeks. He wiped them away silently, and leaned in for a soft kiss.

I gave everything I had into that one moment, because I wanted to remember what it was like to feel that close to him. I wanted it etched into my brain so that I would never forget. Even if he was only gone for 2 ½ months, almost 3 months, I wanted him to know what he was missing out on and that I was really going to miss him. Terribly.

A yell from Shane to come downstairs so they could leave was our signal to break apart. Nate closed his eyes, and leaned his forehead against mine.

"I love you, Caitlyn." He whispered, kissing my forehead and then turning quickly to walk out the door of my bedroom.

I sunk into my bed as the tears flowed faster. "I love you too, Nate."

It was hard to determine who was hurting the most. After the two boys walked out the front steps of our house, Mitchie came running into my room and collapsed onto my bed into a fit of streaming tears. I joined her, and even though our boyfriends were both texting us like mad, we couldn't bring ourselves to read what any of them said. Especially after one from Shane that told Mitchie Nate was crying like a baby. It just hurt too much.

Momma Connie understood all too well what we were going through and allowed us to stay in bed all day to wallow. She brought us lots of things that had chocolate in them since apparently that was the best therapy food.

We tried all sorts of different concoctions. Chocolate on chocolate was a huge crowd pleaser, as well s double chocolate chip cookies and different assortments of cereal in one bowl.

"I don't understand why it just hurts so much." Mitchie complained about half way through the day once most of our crying was down to a limit. She was working her way through some fudge brownies and I was halfway done with my pint of Double Chocolate Fudge ice cream.

"That's what happens when you're in love." I relied, sighing.

"Yeah. Well, love sucks when your boyfriend has to go on tour."

"Definitely." I replied, having some of her brownies. "How many calories do you think we've consumed in the past 5 hours?" I asked, looking around at all the junk that had been eaten.

"I honestly don't even want to know." Mitch replied, laughing softly. "I wonder if Shane will love me even if I'm fat."

"Oh shut up. You're nowhere near being fat. And I'm sure he still would."

"Eh. Shane is really attracted to the physical part of me, though."

"Oh come off it, Mitch." I said, rolling my eyes. "You know he loves you for everything about you. A nice body is just an added bonus."

"Yeah, I guess." She said, smiling slightly. "I just wanna see him again. Not being around him makes me feel self-conscious and second guess everything."

"Yeah but that's natural, I think. Whenever relationships go long-distance things tend to become like that. All you need is some extra reassurance from Shane and you'll be fine."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Listen, it's getting late I'm gonna call him then call it a night. I'm exhausted. You coming?"

I nodded, "I'll be there in a little bit. I wanna call Nate really quickly, just to check in." As Mitchie left the room I dialed his number, after the 3rd ring I knew he wasn't going to pick up. This instantly brought tears to my eyes once again.

At the sound of his answering machine, I was doing my best to choke back the sobs forming. "Hey N-nate. It's me, Caitlyn. I was just checking in…making sure that everything was okay because you said you were going to call me. Anyways…uhm….I miss you. A lot. Already. But I'm going to go to bed now so just call me whenever you can. C-call me. I love you."

--

Shitty ending. Yep. I know. But I'm pissed because my phone is wigging out. And it's fucking like a month old. Sooo I don't want to type anymore. : ) By the way, any rude criticism, honestly won't be tolerated.

Heffa, have an awesome birthday. : ) I'll be calling you in a tit.

Btw, I had a dream about ATL. Eeeppp. Tell you all about it over fb!


	21. Chapter 21

It's been so long, I know! But I promised myself that I would try to update you weekly now, so hopefully this will work. So by every Thursday of each week I should have updated, if not then that's when all of you can send my angry PM's telling me to get my act together and post something. Haha. Anyways, I'm super duper sorry that it's been a whole MONTH since I updated! Feel free to get angry with me…

--

Nate called me back at 4:30. Yes, in the morning. I had managed to fall asleep about two hours prior to that, mainly because I worn out from all the crying and talking done with Mitchie. Who knew it could be so exhausting having someone you loved away on tour?

"Hello?" I asked groggily, wiping at my eyes and checking the time.

"Hey baby." I heard Nate reply softly on the other side of the phone. I couldn't help but smile slightly as I rolled onto my back and attempted to wake myself up a little.

"Nate, hun, I love you and everything, but it's 4:30 in the morning."

Nate chuckled, "I know I'm sorry, but this is really the only chance I have to call before I go to bed and have to get up at 6:30."

"6:30?!" I repeated in awe, "And whoever said the life of a rockstar was an easy one. Psht." Nate and I both laughed but the moment ended too soon and suddenly everything became sad and the longing for him increased dramatically.

"God I've missed your laugh." Nate sighed, and I could almost imagine him closing his eyes. I could feel the aching in my heart as I pined for him to hold me so I could fall back asleep.

"Don't say stuff like that, Nate. It's only going to make this 10 times harder than it already is." I whispered back, also closing my eyes tight and taking in deep breaths to avoid becoming an emotional wreck all over again.

"But I miss you, Caitlyn. So much."

"I know, I know. I miss you too, Nate." I responded, trying to clear my head of all the depressing thoughts that flooded to mind. "Let's just forget that I'm not with you momentarily though, and tell me how's the tour going?"

Nate sighed, "Well, minus the fact that you aren't here, the tour's going great. Shane's really stepping it up with all of us. He's kind of like our superhero right now."

"Aww that's great." I smiled, running my hands through my hair. "And how's Jason doing? He didn't seem so great when you guys left."

"He'll be fine, he's a tough cookie. The tour's doing him some good though, I think he missed being around music."

"Yeah that's true, you guys did sort of take a break from all of it this year, seeing as it was pretty hectic and there was a lot of drama to deal with."

"Yeah, really." He responded solemnly, and I could tell that the small talk wasn't going to work anymore.

"Well I should let you go, you have to get up in like an hour and a half."

"Yeah, sleep would be good…"

"So I'll talk to you tomorrow?" I asked hopefully, knowing that it might be a busy day and he couldn't get the time.

"Definitely. I love you baby."

"I love you too." I responded, sighing softly. "Talk to you tomorrow."

I pressed the END button on my phone, but stared at the screen for a little while longer, it's flashing almost mocking me that the call had ended with Nate. I refused to think about it, however, and set the phone on my side table and cuddled in with the blankets, closing my eyes tight and thinking of happy things so I could drift into a peaceful slumber.

I was awoken about 3 hours later thanks to Mitchie.

"Morning Caitlyn!" Mitchie said brightly, grinning as she plopped onto my bed. I groaned.

"Mitch, what the _crap_ are you doing in here? No, wait, more importantly, what the _crap_ are you doing awake?"

"Love you too." She said back, and I mentally rolled my eyes. "I thought that today should be a happy day and we should go shopping!"

"Oh did you?" I asked, turning onto my side away from her. "I'm not going at the butt crack of dawn. It's too early for shopping."

I heard Mitchie mock gasp. "It's never too early for shopping! Besides, all the good stuff is on sale in the mornings and that's when the mall is the least deserted."

I decided that maybe if I ignored her, she would go away. This did not work.

"Ugh, come on Caitlyn." Mitchie whined, pulling on my arm now. I groaned and opened my eyes, glaring at her.

"I hate you." I said lethally, but Mitchie just grinned.

"That's the spirit! Now chop-chop go get all dolled up. And no sweats, you sulk around in those enough already."

"Oh so now you're the Clothes Police?" I grumbled, literally rolling out of bed.

"Yes, I am. Now go get pretty!" Mitchie said, practically skipping out the door. "Oh and I invited Candace to come along, too. Thought maybe she could cheer you up." She added on her way out.

I fake smiled, and mumbled, "Joy." Before getting into the bathroom and starting my shower.

I was ready to go within the hour, making a very anxious Mitchie a little more excited than she should have been.

"Come _on_." She said for like the millionth time, pulling on my arm. "It's already 9 o clock. People are going to be there by now!"

"Oh mg god, you're acting like a 5 year old. I'm coming I'm coming! Sheesh." I rolled my eyes but grabbed my flip-flops, shoving them onto my feet as I practically fell out the door with Mitchie tugging to hard. "Seriously Mitch, what's gotten into you?"

"Nothing!" She said honestly, glancing back at me. "I'm just sick of us being mopey. Yeah our boyfriends are far away, but we're dating rockstars! Who are famous, by the way, and it's summer, we should enjoy it even if the boys can't be around us the whole time."

I sighed, mulling this over. She was definitely right, it _was_ summer and I didn't want to spend it being depressed. This was the time where we didn't have to stress about exams, didn't have to worry about the press because the boys were off on Tour, and didn't have to worry about late night essays or homework. These were the months of bliss where we got to relax.

"Alright, alright, I'll let it go. You're right, this is summer and I'm gonna enjoy every second of it that I can." I genuinely grinned and Mitchie grinned back at me, we totally had a 'we're-going-to-do-anything-we-want-to-over-the-summer' attitude, and nothing was going to stop us. "So is Candace meeting us there?" I asked, as Mitchie began driving, she had recently passed her driving test a few weeks ago before the boys had left.

"Yeah, that's what she said. She lives like an hour and a half away, I'm surprised she even wanted to get up at this hour but she seemed pretty excited on seeing you. She said it had been too long."

I sighed, thinking about the last time I had seen Candace; it had been at least 3 or 4 months ago after the beach incident. And that felt like so far away, so I could only imagine how she felt not having seen really any of us because I stole a lot of time with Nate away from her.

"You know," I began, frowning slightly, "We really should start including her in some activities that we do."

"Yeah but Nate hates having her around, remember?" Mitchie said, as she turned a street corner and we advanced towards the mall. We were about 10 minutes away now.

"Screw what Nate hates and doesn't hate, he knows that deep down he misses her. He always tells me how he never gets to spend enough time with her, and how sometimes he regrets being in the band because he never gets to see her. He needs to get over this thing that she has going with Jason. I mean nobody even really knows if they're going to get together, what is Nate worried about right now?" I wondered aloud, though I sort-of knew the answer.

"He's probably just worried about her being around and Jason falling for her. I mean Candace is really pretty, I bet if she pursued in modeling or even acting she would get some sort of part on a show." She replied, still keeping her eyes on the road.

"True. But who cares? Is he really going to stand in the way of Jason and Candace if they have the chance to be something? Nate doesn't give Jason enough credit on his character; he's a great guy. In fact, I think I think if you looked at all the things Nate has done in this past year compared to Jason, Jason would totally come out being the nicer guy."

Mitchie now pulled into the parking lot of the mall and shrugged, "Yes but Nate loves you, therefore he can get away with doing all that crappy stuff to you. Jason, however, no matter how much he loves Candace, will never be able to get away with it because it's Nate's sister."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense." I said, frowning slightly as I unbuckled the seatbelt and got out of the car. It was a warm day out, but not too hot. "Should we wait here for Candace?"

"Yeah, why not? We can just talk for a while." Right as Mitchie finished her sentence, I noticed a black Limo pulling up into the Mall's entrance. Mitchie and I both exchanged confused glances before I stared at the Limo.

"Wait…." I thought aloud, thinking hard.

"Candace wouldn't…?" Mitchie said, also thinking out loud.

"Could she?" I asked, turning to Mitchie. We both stared at each other for a while before sprinting towards the Limo, both praying on who would be inside. We reached the Limo gasping and exasperated, and frantically tried opening the doors to see who was inside.

"This…stupid….thing…" I cursed loudly, still trying to open it.

"Woah, hold your horses there, lady, wouldn't want you to hurt the Limo." I heard a voice behind me say. My heart stopped, as well as my pulse as I slowly turned around to see who was to the right of me. And there Nate was, standing in all his glory. I gaped at him before running ahead and jumping into his open arms. He welcomed me with a hearty laugh and an intense kiss.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, once he had put me down and the shock had worn off.

"Thought we would surprise you guys." I heard a different voice from the other side of me say. I turned to see Shane leaning against the Limo also grinning. I laughed while Mitchie received the same sort of Welcome.

"So where's Jason?" I demanded, looking around, "I know you guys have him some where."

"Present!" Jason said happily, climbing out of the Limo with Candace right behind him. I couldn't help but grin at seeing the two of them before running over and actually giving both of them a huge hug.

"Aww, Jase, I've missed you! And you too, C! I hardly ever get to talk to you anymore."

"Yeah well, whose fault is that, T?" Candace asked, sticking her tongue out at me s I made a face.

"Whateverrr. You were just as busy as I was, buttface." Candace laughed as Nate came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, laying his head on my shoulder.

"So…are we going shopping or what?" Nate asked.

I raised my eyebrows; "You want to go shopping on your only day with your girlfriend?"

"Sure." Nate said, as Jason and Shane agreed, "Plus sneaking behind dressing rooms and making out is _so _my style." He whispered in my ear, causing me to blush and whack his arm.

"You're terrible." I mumbled to him, and though the comment was quite immature, I couldn't wipe the grin that was on my face as we all walked hand-in-hand (Not including Jason and Candace, of course) into the mall. I was praying that no one noticed Connect 3 was here otherwise we really wouldn't have gotten any time alone together and it would be a bummer of a trip. But the three of them were being careful not to draw too much attention to themselves for a change, to which I was thankful for.

"So, where to first?" Shane asked the group at large as we entered the huge Mall.

Mitchie and I looked at each other. "Macy's!" We both said together at the exact same time. Nate, Jason, and Shane all shared a confused expression while Candace grinned: she knew exactly why we wanted to go there.

"Oh no. No no no no." Nate immediately said as we entered the store: There was Connect 3 merchandise _everywhere_.

"Look Nate, I can even cuddle with you at night." Shane said in a high-pitched voice, lying down on a bedspread that had Nate's face blown up to cover it. The whole group howled with laughter while Nate scowled.

"Hey at least I'm not on kid's underpants." Mitchie said, flinging a pair that had Shane's face on it at him.

"Ew!" I said, cracking up as Nate took his turn laughing at Shane. "That is so wrong. I would never wear underwear that had someone's face on them…gross."

"We need to take pictures!" Candace suddenly shouted, grabbing her camera from her bag and quickly snapping away. The pictures were hilarious to say the least, we had plenty of me kissing the bed sheets that were supposed to be Nate, Shane with the underwear on his face and head, many of Shane and Mitchie laughing hysterically, (Soooo cute), some of me and Candace just being stupid, Candace also managed to sneak in a few pictures of herself and Jason, which was adorable. And there were a few of Nate and I that I adored, and would probably be putting as the background on my laptop soon.

"Let's just pray that these pictures never get released to the Press." Nate said, though he was grinning broader than I had ever seen him smile before.

I smacked him lightly on the chest, "Oh who cares if they do? It's not like we're half nude or something or making out in front of a camera."

"Speaking of which…" Nate said, winking at me. Before I had the faintest idea of what was going on, Nate had me pinned to a wall that was completely secluded from the store and had his lips mercilessly on mine before I even had time to react. I gave in for a few seconds before pulling apart, much to Nate's displeasure.

"There could be press around here!" I said, trying to shove Nate off of me.

"I don't care." Nate said simply, attacking my neck with kisses since my mouth seemed to be uncooperative at the moment.

"Nate! You don't even want people to know you're here! What if some creepy stalker fan takes a picture of us making out and posts it all over the web? How would that look for your rep?" I demanded, still pushing against him, Nate retreated in defeat.

"Alright, alright, you're right. I'll stop. I've just missed you is all." Nate admitted, running his hands through his hair with a frustrating look on his face.

I sighed, "I know it's hard but the second we get back home you can kiss me as much as you'd like."

Nate grinned and took his hand in mine, interlacing our fingers together. "Sounds like a plan." He said, we then walked off to find our group again, who were now entertained by the many pencil pouches and watches that had been based off of Connect 3.

After our rather rambunctious outing about the mall, we noticed it was getting more and more crowded and so by 11 we left, just incase any fans showed up or figured out they had been there. We hadn't purchased anything other than ice cream a little while before, but I had had the most fun while at the mall ever. Something about taking pictures just seemed to lighten the mood.

When we got home, Shane and Mitchie locked themselves in her room, (even amidst all the wolf whistling and winks they had received), and Nate and I were about to do the same before Candace grabbed my arm pulling me away.

"I'll be right up in a minute." I said to Nate, who nodded and headed to my room. "What's up?" I asked, turning to look at Candace who seemed flustered.

"You guys are totally leaving me and Jason alone!" She said, as though it were obvious.

I laughed slightly, "It's not like he's going to attack you, or anything. It's just Jase."

"Yeah but I have no idea how to be around him! And more specifically, I have no idea how to be around him alone! People have always surrounded us! This is going to be so much more-"

"Candace." I said, placing my hands upon her shoulders. "You need to chill out. It's not the end of the world, you two are going to be fine. And both Nate and I will be down within an hour. We just want some time alone to talk and catch-up. Alright? Nothing's going to happen, you two will be fine."

Candace closed her eyes and took in a few, deep breaths, then nodded before beginning to walk away. As I was about to make my way upstairs she turned and said quickly, "Oh and I snuck some pictures of you and Nate making out. Bye!"

I gaped at her now gone back as she ran away from me and glared, fuming inside. It was one thing that I had told Nate to watch out for the press, and completely another when his own sister had been stalking us and taking pictures. If any of her friends ever got hold of those pictures….

"You okay, babe? You seem slightly…er…pissed?" Nate woke me from my dark thoughts, and I hadn't even noticed that I had entered the room.

"Candace took pictures of you and I at the mall." I said, still glaring,

"Yeah? So? She took pictures of all of us." I shot him a look. "Oh, you mean _those_ kind of pictures. Dang. Well I'll just delete them after she goes to sleep, or I'll just ask to look for the camera. Not a big deal."

I thought about this for a moment, before shrugging, "Yeah I guess you're right. I mean they weren't that bad of photos anyway, whatever. As long as you promise to delete them."

"Promise it on our love." Nate swore, smiling at me. I grinned as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me towards him forcefully, causing both of us to collapse on my bed. I could tell by the lust shining in his eyes that he wasn't going to spare me any longer, but I had a few questions before we got straight to the kissing.

"Wait," I said, pressing my fingers to his lips in an attempt to make him stop advancing. Nate groaned and let his head fall on my chest.

"What now?" He asked impatiently.

"Don't be so rude." I scowled playfully, before continuing, "So how in the blazes did you get here? You haven't been gone nearly a week and you're already back? How did you manage to do that?"

"First off," Nate began, resting his chin on my chest so he could see me properly. "'Blazes'? Really, Caitlyn? Where did that come from?" I rolled my eyes so he pressed on, "Second, we were going to come visit you like this the whole time, it was just supposed to be a surprise. And thirdly, can I please kiss you now? Because I've been waiting, at your command, for the past 4 hours to have you at my mercy and yet still you've found a way to distract me."

"Fine, fine." I said, as though I didn't care, but we were both grinning by the time his mouth had connected with mine. It was the most amazing feeling I had had since he had left, and I never wanted it to end.

"Caitlyn Gellar, I love you will all my heart and soul." Nate whispered, hugging me tightly to him. I sighed; smiling and feeling my heart swell from his love and devotion.

"And you too, Nate Presley."

--

The endddd! (Not of the story, just of the Chapter)

PS. I'm starting a completely new story, (No worries, I'm not forgetting about TEWOTB) but be on the lookout for it. :)


	22. Chapter 22

Bugger. I realize that two months is a god-awful long time to wait for a new Chapter- but you have my sincerest apologies. I was taking this story nowhere, and I figured that quality was better than quantity. And at least in this way, I now have the perfect plotline all mapped out. Which means...drum roll please…a Sequel!!! :) Yes, and soon!

There are only going to be 2, maybe 3 more Chapters for TEWOTB. It has been a long, but amazing ride, but I know exactly how I want to end it, and if I don't end it soon then summer will just become filler-y stuff and I do not want that to happen.

SO! Here's to the story that really got me in love with Naitlyn, Smitchie, and possibly a future _Cason. _:)

--

The boys left way too soon. They had a flight out that night, and Mitchie and I were depressed beyond belief. We had Candace, who was going to stay a while with us, however, but she wasn't really any more cheerful than Mitchie or me. While we had been bonding with our significant others, Candace had apparently been busy talking it up with Jason, who had said that he was going to miss not talking to her.

Apparently all the hardcore Touring was going to begin now, which meant if I ever wanted to talk to Nate at all it would be when he called at about 4 in the morning. Normally this would really throw me off because of school and homework, but since it was the summer I never really minded much because Mitchie and I were usually up that late anyway- messing around or watching movies. Summer proved to be just the right amount of relaxation that I needed. Mitchie and I ended up finding a really good rhythm with one another (i.e.; giving each other space when we were on our period, backing off when we knew we had been around each other for too long, not hanging out 24/7, etc.) and even worked on a couple new songs of Mitchie's. I was personally done with singing, and grew to love my keyboard/mixing table even more than I had before. I guess I had been having a little separation anxiety.

It was about mid-way through July when it was time for me to head back to see my Parents. They had me booked with them till the first week of August, which was about 3 weeks with them. I honestly I had no idea what they were planning to do with me in that large amount of time.

I talked to them about once or twice every two or three weeks, but we were never really close. My Dad honestly probably liked Nate more than he loved me. And plus, the last time I had gone to see my parents was for my Grandfather's funeral, and though it hadn't been amazingly awesome, it still wasn't too awkward. I just didn't know how I was supposed to act without having Nate around- I was used to taking him with me whenever I visited my parents.

I had settled in quickly though, and I found that hanging around my Parents actually wasn't so bad after all. We did a lot of pointless, but fun things together like go shopping, buy music, and go to Amusement Parks. Nate and I talked on the phone as often as we could-, which sometimes didn't exactly mean talking to him everyday. With my Parents constantly keeping me busy, I soon forgot not about Nate, but how much I missed him. I never knew my Parents could take my mind off Nate like that.

"If you don't mind me asking, how are you and Nate doing?" My Mom had asked me, while we were lounging outside sipping lemonade. I was in a light pink bikini with stripes on it, trying desperately to get a little tanner.

"We're amazing, Mom. Seriously, you have nothing to worry about." I smiled at her and took a long swig of my cool drink, before readjusting my sunglasses and sighing contently. I was so lost in my own world that I literally almost gagged at what next came out of my Mother's mouth.

"You guys aren't….er...sexually active, are you?"

I immediately smacked both my hands to my face, shaking my head. Nate and I had already had this conversation once before, and it was bad enough even having him around. Now I had to go through a similarly embarrassing conversation with my Mom? I inwardly groaned, but sat up completely, preparing myself for the worst.

"No, Mom. We're far from having sex." I heard my Mom sigh with relief, and it took all my self-control not to roll my eyes.

"And what about other stuff? I mean there are other ways of keeping Nate happy without-"

"MOM." I quickly cut her off, widening my eyes. I knew exactly what she was talking about. And even though Nate and I had almost been together for a year and things got particularly racy from time-to-time, we had both agreed that we were saving that for a much later time. Not that I was really excited to do that…

Shuddering slightly, my Mom continued, "Well you never know! Kids these days get into all sorts of trouble…"

"Yes, Mom. But not Nate and I. The most we've done is make out." I on purpose left out the "feeling each other up" part, and by the look my Mom had given me I knew at once it was the smart thing to do.

"Whew." My Mom breathed, seeming a little more relaxed. "And you aren't going to…?"

"No Mom." I said for what felt like the thousandth time, "I'm not doing it with him any time soon."

After a not-so-interesting Dinner, I quickly retired to my Bedroom so I could call Nate. I figured I hadn't talked to him a couple days, so as I plopped onto my bed I pulled out some magazines, lazily flipping through them as the dial tone rung.

"I was just thinking about you." I heard an optimistic and happy voice on the other line say to me. A grin came to my face just thinking about Nate.

"Speak of the devil and the devil shall come." I replied, falling back against my pillows as I allowed Nate to drag me off to my la-la land.

"So, how was your day?" Nate asked, as I smoothed out my tank top and made a face.

"Boring," I pouted childishly, "Oh but Mom thought it would be awesome if she asked me whether or not we were having sex…"

Nate began laughing loudly. "Please tell her you said yes?"

"Nate!" I exclaimed horrified, but also laughing with him. "Oh God, that would have been awful. I already feel bad enough that they never see me. I wouldn't want to tell them I'm having sex, too."

"They do know that one day you're going to 'do the deed' tough, right? I mean babe, as much as I love you, there comes a time when my manhood honor comes into play and I can only wait so long before-"

"Oh, shut it." I said, rolling my eyes but thankful that Nate was in such a good mood. I had really missed this fun, energetic side of him. It was a side that I hadn't really been seeing very much of anymore. "So why are you so chipper?" I asked, letting my magazine fall to the floor as I sat crisscross on my bed and began twirling my hair between my fingers.

"No particular reason. We just had an insanely good Concert today. The crowd was freaking out, and we visited some Children's Hospitals and spent some time with little kids today. It was just nice."

"Aww," I cooed, wishing he were here so I could pinch his cheeks, "Baby that's so sweet of you and the boys. I bet all the little kids loved that."

"Mhm, that they did. I bet it's going to be all over Hot Tunes tomorrow."

"Well that's not so bad, you guys could use a little bit of good publicity."

"Why? Do we have a bad image now over there or something? Did something happen?"

I rolled my eyes as Nate's immediate business-mode kicked into gear. "No, nothing like that. I just meant that you haven't done any of those in a while lately. It was nice of you boys to do that. Celebrities need to show their soft sides once in a while to prove that they're still human. A lot of them can get rather snobby."

"Oh I know." Nate agreed, sighing, "It's like a pre-Mitchie Shane type of thing. Dang I'm glad that's over with."

"I bet," I said, wincing slightly as a wave of nausea ran through me. "Eeehhh." I groaned, shutting my eyes and tensing up.

"What's wrong?" I heard Nate's concerned voice question me and smiled slightly.

"I don't know. I just got a big cramping feeling in my stomach. I think it's just PMS though…ahhh, man." I whined, now pouting. "That means I won't get to go tanning for like a week. Dangit."

"You've been going tanning without me?" A fake-hurt sounding Nate asked.

"Yes," I replied, more than happy to make him jealous.

"And where have I been for all of this?"

"Oh you know, just around the country singing for millions of fans. No biggie."

Nate laughed at that, and I could picture him shaking his head, "Your sense of humor never ceases to amaze me, Caitlyn Gellar."

"Mhmm. Well, I try." I replied, smiling as I cuddled under the sheets. "Is it bad that I miss you?" I whispered softly, staring at my lamp and trying not to feel stupid as I openly shared my vulnerability with him.

"Of course not," He soothingly said, also allowing his voice to become soft. "I miss you like crazy, babe. I wish you were here with me…"

"Me too." I agreed, sighing as I let my eyes close. "Will you sing to me?" I asked him already certain he would refuse the offer.

"Caitlyn…" He began to protest, but I frowned and used my best whining voice I could muster up.

"Please baby? Pleeeeaaasseee?"

Nate sighed, and I knew I had won him over. "Alright. What do you want to hear?"

"Mhm…" I thought to myself, quickly running through the name of their songs in my head.

"You know, you really should have thought of this before begging me to sing you something." Nate pointed out.

"Oh, shush. I didn't think you were going to agree that's why I didn't plan ahead." Nate chuckled while I still thought. "Ooohh! Sing Please Be Mine."

Nate groaned. "Do I have to?"

"Yes. Yes you do."

"Remind me why…?"

"Because I'm your hormonal going-on-11-months girlfriend who tends to get very, very crabby when things don't go her way. And I also asked nicely."

Nate mumbled something incoherent but I chose to ignore it. "Alright, alright. Here goes nothing."

I settled back into my bed and turned off the light as I waited for Nate's sweet voice to take over my thoughts and sooth me.

"They come and go. But they don't know. That you are my beautiful. I try to come closer to you but they all say we won't make it through. But I'll be there forever; you will see that it's better. All our hopes and our dreams will come true. I will not disappoint you, I will be right there for you. Till the end, the end of time. Please be mine. I'm in and out, of love with you. Trying to find if it's really true. How can I prove my love? If they all think I'm not good enough. But I'll be there forever; you will see that it's better. All our hopes and our dreams will come true. I will not disappoint you I will be right there for you. Till the end, the end of time please be mine."

I smiled slightly as he got to the bridge of the song. I loved this part because it was the part where the guys always got guttural, and it was the main passion and soul of the message they were getting across within the song.

"I can't stop the rain from falling, I can't stop my heart from calling you. It's calling you. I can't stop the rain from falling; I can't stop my heart from calling you. It's calling you. But I'll bet here forever. You will se that it's better. All our hopes. And our dreams they will come true. I will not disappoint you I will be right there for you. Till the end. The end of time. Please be mine."

I smiled as the song ended, and sighed contently. "Thank you." I whispered,

"You're welcome." Nate replied.

"I've missed your voice." I admitted honestly.

"I've missed you, and your smile. And your annoying little quirks that made me fall in love with you in the first place."

I smiled idiotically and couldn't help the blush that crept onto my face even though he wasn't here to see it.

"When can I see you?" I asked, already knowing the answer but praying it had somehow changed.

"Not till the Tour's over, baby, I told you this yesterday."

"I know. I was just hoping I hadn't heard you right…" I sighed, glancing at the clock. It was almost midnight. "Hey, I should go…I'm sure you're exhausted."

"Yeah, I am." Nate agreed, but I could tell from his resigned voice that he didn't seem very keen on hanging up.

"Is something wrong?" I asked him, shoving sleepiness from all parts of my body as I tried to focus on him.

"It's stupid."

"Nothing you think or stay is stupid to me, Nate. What's wrong?" I asked again, sitting up slightly in bed.

"I just…well. I. Dang. Why is this so hard for guys to say?" He chuckled but I waited patiently, imagining him nervously running his hand through his hair. "I just…I want you here. With me. I want to hold you in my arms and smell your hair because I admittedly almost forget what it smells like. I want to see your smile and the way your eyes light up when you're excited. I miss falling asleep by your side every night, and seeing how peaceful you look when you're dreaming. I miss kissing you every chance I get. Overall, I just miss you. I miss us."

By the time he was done speaking I had tears gathered in my eyes about ready to fall. It was moments like these that made me realize just how lucky I was to have a guy like him and how amazing he actually is. Nate immediately began panicking when I didn't say something.

"I'm sorry, did I upset you? Was that too honest? I know, we haven't even been together a year and yet I keep blabbering on about how I attached I am to you. Stupid, stupid Nate. I seriously need to learn to shut up-"

"Nate. Breathe." I reminded him, wiping at my eyes, "You didn't say anything wrong I'm just hormonal." I sniffled and Nate quickly caught on.

"Aw, I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean to make you cry…"

"It's okay. It was sweet, what you said. It was definitely tear-worthy." I laughed through my tears, and turned back on my lamp to try and find a tissue. "Hold on." I said into the phone, before throwing onto the bed and proceeding to blow my nose. Once done, I picked up the phone and got settled back in bed again. "Sorry. I just needed a moment."

"It's okay." Nate said softly, and by the sound of his voice I could get that he was finally tired.

"We should head to bed, yeah?" I asked, glancing at the time again. It was almost 12:15 now.

"Yeah. We have a busy day tomorrow. Lots of interviews to do."

"Well, don't forget to mention me somewhere in one of them." I joked, mentally preparing myself to hang up so I could go to sleep.

"I won't." Nate said, laughing softly. "Okay we should do this now while we both agree before spending another 45 minutes together telling the other person to hang up."

"This is true," I laughed, nodding even though he couldn't see me. "Okay, bye Nate. I love you."

"I love you too, baby. Forever."

"And always." I finished for him.

We hung up and I slipped into a lonely but not long night of sleep.

--

Sorry if this was short, but here's a preview of the next Chapter to make up for it:

_"Mitchie, you can't tell anyone! Please!"_

_"I cannot believe you. Just wait until Shane hear about this."_

_"You're fucking kidding me right now, right?"_

_"Stop freaking out it was a mistake anyways!!"_

_"We're done."_

--

Drama is so fun. :) Anyways, R&R please!!


End file.
